Hidden
by MindLezz
Summary: [Discontinued]: I'm not a murderer, I'm not! Sakura, you're the only one that could be responsible for your mother's murder. Sasusaku, Naruhina hints of shikaino, nejiten
1. Default Chapter

AN: Why hello! My first fanfic so go easy on me will ya? Hope you like! 

**_Disclaimer_**: I do **not** own Naruto. Accept for the plot in this fanfiction. 

Hidden

Chapter 1: Found

   "Sasuke! Sensei! I found her! I found her!"  Naruto yelled frantically. He looked down at the beaten pink haired girl and picked her up. "Hurry! She's unconscious!" Kakashi, Jiraya, and Sasuke came up behind him. Kakashi quickly went to her side, checking for any major injury. Finding none, he felt relief breeze through him.

     "Naruto carry Sakura back to the village and let Tsunade take a look at her just to be sure." Kakashi instructed, "Sasuke go with Naruto."

   "Sensei…" Naruto began.

  "Go Naruto, I need to see if that bastard is still around." Kakashi nodded toward Jiraya and immediately disappeared into the trees.

     "Be careful Naruto, Sasuke. We'll be back later." Jiraya said and jumped after Kakashi. Naruto nodded and picked up Sakura. He took three steps and his knees began to wobble. 

     _'When did Sakura get so heavy?'_ He grinned, "Nihehe, I get to carry Sakura-chan!" he said trying to get his mind off her weight. Sasuke stared at him. Naruto took another step before his legs gave out from under him. _'AK! Sakura!'_ He almost dropped the pink haired girl. Sasuke glared at him.

   "I'll carry her." He began taking Sakura out of Naruto's arms.

"Sasuke, you show off! I can carry her all the way back to the village… and then some! I'll take care of her." Naruto said proudly then took another step, and dropped her. Sasuke quickly slid and caught Sakura before she hit the ground.

     "Baka!" He picked her up and walked off without glancing back at Naruto. _'Damn it! I should be helping Kakashi with that jounin not stuck babysitting!' _

  "Sasuke!" Naruto's voice pierced his ear, "The village is that way…" He pointed. Sasuke's fist clenched.

      "Naruto, the village is this way." He continued walking.

"You sure Sasuke…" He scratched his head, "I could've sworn we came from that way."

      "Baka…" Sasuke muttered. _'Wait…'_ He turned his head around, (insert sweatdrop here.) _'The village is that way.'_ He sighed and turned around, _'I'll never hear the end of it from Naruto now…'_

  "Hahahaha!! Sasuke, I told you!" He jumped and grinned widely. "Come on Sasuke! Admit it! You were wrong! Gahahaha!!" 

      "Shut up Naruto!" He glared at the fox boy. Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and walked toward Konoha village with his signature fox grin on whiskered face. 

"Hey you old woman! Sakura-chan needs help!" Naruto sat on Tsunade's desk and poked at her sleeping head. She dazedly looked at him. Her head snapped up.

     "Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" Tsunade brushed the drool off of her chin and grabbed his collar.

"Ehehehe, Oi! Old lady, Sakura-chan needs help!" Naruto waved his hands frantically.

     The fifth hokage blinked, "Eh? What happened Naruto?"

"We were training and some jounin from the water village attacked us… Anyway, I don't really know!" Naruto scratched the back of his head, "I got knocked out," His fist clenched, "I don't know all the details but from what I remember, the jounin took Sakura. I found her a little bit later and she was unconscious. Can you just look at her? Sensei already did, but he didn't find anything. We just want to be sure." Tsunade nodded and got up.

     "Naruto, Where are Jiraya and Kakashi?"

"They went after the jounin." He shrugged.

     "Aa… Why would they send a jounin out for Sakura?" Naruto shrugged again.

Meanwhile….

    Sasuke placed Sakura's unconscious body onto the hospital bed. His fist clenched. For the first time he noticed the bruises and scrapes on her body. He sighed and sat in a chair beside her bed. _'Sakura…'_ He placed a hand on her forehead. Stroking away the strands of pink hair obscuring it. _'She kept it short…'_ He then picked up a few strands. _'I couldn't protect her…'_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

    The door opened Sasuke's head immediately snapped up. Naruto and Tsunade stepped in. Tsunade quickly went to the Sakura's side and inspected her. Naruto and Sasuke waited in silence.

     "Hmm…" Tsunade checked her pulse, "Mmmhmm…"

"This is why I hate being inspected by a doctor…" Naruto muttered. Tsunade's glared at Naruto and threw and IV needle at him. Naruto's eyes widened. He ducked and the needle zoomed and hit the wall just above his head. "Gah! What the heck do you think you're doing you old woman! You could've killed me!" He glared at her. 

     "Humph…" Tsunade went back to her work.

  "Baka…" Sasuke mumbled. Naruto gave a sideways glance at the black haired ANBU.

     After a few moments Tsunade finished her inspection, "Hmm… She should be fine. Although there are a lot of bruises and scrapes she should be ok. She needs to rest for a few days… and… hmm…"

  "What is it? What is it?!" Naruto asked anxiously, but Tsunade shook her head. 

      "Just make sure she doesn't do anything too serious. Her injuries are minor, but her body has been worked to the limit." Sasuke and Naruto glanced at her quizzically.

  "But… old lady, we're with her everyday, how could she over work herself if we're always with her?" Naruto asked confusingly. He thought for a few moments before… "I got it! She's been overworked because Sasuke won't pay attention to her!"

     Tsunade scratched her head irritably, "Naruto! That doesn't make any sense." Sasuke's eye twitched. He glared at Naruto.

   "It's probably because you keep following her home at night, deme…" He grumbled.

Tsunade looked at the two boys.

   "Whatever the cause, she's been over working herself. She needs to rest. I want you two to watch her until I say she can train again. Got it? I cleaned her injuries and I'll talk to Jiraya and Kakashi as soon as they return. In the meantime I need one of you to stay here and watch over her. She's going to wake up soon." With that Tsunade left the room.

   Naruto glared at Sasuke, Sasuke glared back. Naruto pulled out his fist. Sasuke did the same. "Rock, paper, scissors!" 


	2. chapter 2

Alright! Onto the next chapter… ^^ There's more on this one… and it moves pretty fast. Ah well, enjoy it anyway.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Naruto… *tear*

Hidden

Chapter 2: Open

Naruto walked along the streets of Konoha village with his head bent down. He almost tripped on his own shoes. "Hey Naruto!" a voice called. Naruto turned his head toward the voice. 

"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto jumped. He ran toward Iruka very much like he used to when he was younger. 

"Ak! Hey Naruto! You're not so little anymore are you?" Iruka scratched his head. "Wow, you look more like the fourth everyday!" 

   "You really think so Iruka sensei?!" Naruto gave him his signature fox grin.

"Hn, Naruto since you're here I assume Jiraya-sama is here too?" Naruto nodded.

   "Sasuke's here too."

"Oh? Where is he?" 

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He put a hand over his heart dramatically and sighed." He's with Sakura-chan…" Iruka looked at his former student quizzically.

   "Well then, I see. Naruto, you want to go get some ramen?" Naruto's face immediately lit up, Sasuke and Sakura instantly forgotten.

"Yeah! Of course I do! You're paying though…" He glanced at Iruka expectantly. Iruka scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

Sakura's room…

_'Sakura…'_ a voice called. _'Sakura… wake up.'_ Sakura looked all around her. There was fog and mist. "I… I can't see anything…' _'Sakura…_' The voice called again. Sakura looked all around her and found nothing but emptiness. "What's going on?! Where am I?!" She began to panic. "Someone help… somebody! Anybody! Naruto…? Kakashi sensei…? Mr. Jiraya?! Sasuke…?! Where are you guys?" She began to run.

_'Crack…'_

Her head snapped up. "Who's there!?" _'Sakura! Wake up!' _ "Get away from me!" She felt hands on her and fought desperately to get them off. "Go away!" She could feel tears falling from her eyes. "Just leave me alone… please…!" Sakura felt the hands remove themselves and she saw the fog and mist fade. Darkness surrounded her.

   Sakura ran her hands through her hair and sighed in relief. **_'Sakura!'_** A louder voice boomed through her. Hands reached for her and clawed at her everywhere. She desperately kicked and punched them away. Tears fell down her eyes. "Help! Someone!" The hands began to pull her away. She screamed and her eyes snapped open.

   "Sakura!" She looked up into a pair of onyx eyes. 

"S…Sasuke?"

"Sakura… You're awake." Sasuke stepped away from her bed. 

   "What happened Sasuke?" Her head throbbed tremendously. She began to massage her temples.

"You passed out." He told her simply.

   "Is that all?"

He shook his head. "The jounin that attacked you was from the water village. He…" _'He tried to take you…' _He added silently. "It doesn't matter Kakashi and Jiraya already took care of him."

   "Do you know why he went after me?"

He shook his head again. Silence flowed between the two. 

After a few moments, Kakashi and Jiraya entered the room. "Sakura, you're alright." Kakashi stated. She nodded and looked at the two.

   "Kakashi sensei, what happened to me?" He blinked.

"A water jounin came and attacked you." He said simply. Sakura's fists clenched.

   "That's what Sasuke said, can you be a little more descriptive?" she asked with an annoyed tone. Kakashi raised his eyebrow and sighed. Jiraya stood uncomfortably in the room, but stepped into the conversation.

"Listen, Sakura. Tsunade told us about your condition," he changed the subject. "What have you done to overwork yourself? We're with you everyday, Sakura, just where do you go after training?" She glanced at him.

   "Where I go is none of your concern. I just want to know what happened to me and why!" she screamed icily. The three men in the room backed off a little bit from her.

"Sakura," Kakashi began, "Look, you need rest just don't worry about it ok?" Sakura glared at him. Kakashi raised his hands defensively. Jiraya stepped in again.

   "Sakura, fine. I'll tell you alright? Just calm the hell down." She looked at him and nodded. "The jounin wasn't from the water village. To tell you the truth, he wasn't from any village. The band he was wearing was fake, probably stolen from a ninja he assassinated. What's awkward though, was for one, he went after you, and two, he had a seal of a cherry blossom on his right hand."

   "It's a sign." Sakura stated quietly. The other three looked at her. Jiraya nodded.

"Whatever the cause of this attack… we need to watch Sakura." Kakashi began.

   "No!" She protested, "I will not have anyone watch over me!" she fisted her hospital blankets. _'Not anymore…'_ she added silently. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I'll rest for two or three days and I'll be ok."

  "Sakura…" Sasuke whispered. 

"I'll be fine!" she said stubbornly and got off of her bed. Jiraya blocked her way. "I just want some fresh air." Jiraya almost protested, but Kakashi stopped him. The he moved out of her way. She limped slowly outside.

   "Sasuke," Kakashi addressed him, "I want you and Naruto to watch over her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Hn…"

Ramen…

"Yay! Iruka Sensei! That was delicious!" Naruto rubbed his tummy warmly. Iruka nodded and laughed.

   "Naruto you haven't changed one bit."

"Teeheehehee." He glanced around the ramen shop. His eyes widened in surprise. "Hinata?!" He smiled. She looked at him in surprise.

   "N…na... Naruto-kun?" She blushed. He grinned and waved politely. 

"Hiya!" Iruka glanced at his former pupil and smiled. He paid for the bill and looked over at Naruto, who was currently walking toward the shy girl. He left with an even bigger smile on his face.

   "Hi Hinata! What are you doing here?"

"I…I umm… Neji… is.. is supposed to come here… and my family…" She glanced at him nervously. "My… family is coming here to eat… today." He smiled. "Wh…What are you doing here Naruto-kun?"

   "Huh? Oh… I was eating with Iruka sensei but you looked kind of umm…" He scratched his head. _'How to say this…'_ he thought. "…Lonely? Thought I'd keep you company until your family arrives." Hinata blushed an even deeper shade of red.

   "Thank you… Naruto-kun, but they should be arriving in a little." She twittled her thumbs. Naruto studied her for a second. His looked at her amusingly.

"You're lying Hinata!" He pointed at her. "Whatcha really here for?" Hinata looked away slightly and if possible, blushed and even deeper shade of red. "Well? Hinata? Go on!" He smiled encouragingly at her.

   "I… I… umm…" She glanced at Naruto, "Ramen is also my favorite food Naruto-kun." He ginned brightly. 

"Teehee, didn't think you girls liked this stuff very much. Wow Hinata-chan, I didn't expect this." She looked at him confusingly. "I would think you were waiting for a date or something." Her face darkened. Naruto quickly shut his mouth. "Oh… Hinata-chan… gomen." 

   "It's ok Naruto-kun. I'm fine." She looked away. Naruto stared at her for a while. Awkward silence sat between the two. _'Hmm…'_

"Hinata?"  He finally decided to break the silence. She looked up at him. "I'll be your date for tonight! Is that ok?" Her eyes widened in surprise. She nodded quickly and smiled.

TBC…

AN: Well, I thought it was fast paced. Its one in the morning right now.. -_- sorry. There's some light Naruhina in here I thought y'alls might like, 


	3. chapter 3

AN: Thank you all for your lovely reviews! ^^  **ahem** Some of you saw this chapter before, but I decided to remove it... for certain purposes. And now, for those who missed it, I uploaded chapter four to make it up to you guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…

Hidden Chapter 3: Suspicion

   After walking Hinata home, Naruto decided to train a bit more. He wanted to work off any pounds he might've put on. Jiraya used to scold him for eating so much, and training so little… So off to the forest he went. Unsurprisingly, Sasuke was there too, and that meant… Naruto peered around cautiously, Sakura would most likely be around watching.

   "She's not here Naruto." Sasuke said in his usual monotone. Naruto blinked in surprise, but began training himself. (Walking up trees, fighting against his clone etc.) 

   In the corner of his eye Naruto watched Sasuke. The black haired boy seemed to have something troubling him. _'No, Naruto, stay on track!'_ He scolded himself. Awkwardly enough, Sasuke began to talk. "Kakashi wants us to watch over Sakura…"

 Naruto gaped at him. "Hmm? What's wrong with Sakura-chan?" Sasuke shrugged and sat down. 

   "You haven't noticed the change in her?"

"I guess not," Naruto scratched the back of his head, "She seems more distant. Maybe it's just a phase…" 

Sasuke shook his head. "A two year phase…?" The two sat silently, contemplating about the pink haired jounin… _'Sakura…'_

The next day Sasuke waited outside on a tree near Sakura's house. After a while she came out, looking rather frustrated. He followed her. She walked a lot faster than usual. _'Does she know I'm following her?'_ He kept on, until she rounded a corner. He jumped onto a roof and looked down. _'What?!'_ Sakura disappeared. Sasuke growled in frustration. "Sasuke-kun!" a voice shrieked. _'Crap!' _ A group of girls jumped on the roof and began to chase after him. He immediately jumped down into the alley and ran. _'Not a good day…' _

   He ran out toward the forest until he was sure those girls were far behind him. Sasuke jumped on a tree branch and rested there. His eyes snapped open… a familiar presence was around. His gaze landed onto a tree not far from him. There sat Sakura. She looked ghastly, like she was from another world. Her short pink hair twirled around as the wind blew. Sasuke found himself enchanted by the site. _'No, don't go there Sasuke.' _He scolded himself for having such thoughts.

   Suddenly, the two locked gazes. Sasuke froze, _'this… was not supposed to happen. Defiantly a bad day…' _his attention was slightly averted, and apparently Sakura's was too, because she fell out of her tree. Sasuke quickly acted and jumped to catch her. The two landed on the ground with a thud. Sakura's eyes widened for a moment, but she didn't move, and neither did he. They stared at each other. Until, Sakura shifted uncomfortably and slid off of him. _'Awkward… she would be clinging to me by now.'_ He looked at her strangely. 

  "Th… thank you Sasuke." He nodded, got up, and helped her get back on her feet. He thought a saw a small smile grace her features, but it was gone in an instant. She frowned slightly, as if thinking about something. She looked up at him with a strange look in her eyes, before walking away without saying anything. 

   Sasuke watched as she continued to fade in the distance. He snarled, _'don't. Go. There. Sasuke.'_ Still, he couldn't help but feel uneasiness about what just happened.

"Tsunade, what did you find?" Kakashi asked. He was leaning against a wall in the fifth hokage's office. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary. A few bruises, some scrapes… though, they didn't look like they came from the jounin…" she stated, "I believe it was from the struggle than anything. She probably got them when he was dragging her away."

   "So… he wasn't trying to hurt her?" Jiraya asked from his position next to her desk.

"I guess not… strange huh? What kind of anonymous ninja comes out of nowhere and tried to abduct a jounin from Konoha? And more specifically, why Sakura?" Tsunade placed a hand under her chin and sighed.

   "Hmm… perhaps it was because-" Jiraya began, but Tsunade interrupted.

"I remember! On her hand! There… there was a seal on her hand… it was a small pink gem, with five seals around it. It resembled a Sakura blossom, actually."

"A seal?" Kakashi asked. She nodded. Jiraya gasped.

   "Wait a minute, Tsunade, what was Sakura's father's name?" She thought about it for a while.

"Haruno… Haruno, Enki, I believe. Why?" She asked.

"And the seal? It was a cherry blossom correct?"

"Just spit it out Jiraya…" Kakashi said calmly.

"Her father had it too…" Silence filled the room. _'So… then it's still active after all…'_


	4. chapter 4

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Naruto.

Hidden Chapter 4: Reasons

  Sasuke walked slowly toward the bridge where the trio usually met. He blinked in surprise. Naruto was standing on the bridge along with Jiraya. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, (typical) and probably wouldn't be there for another hour or so, but Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Naruto turned and waved to him. He didn't respond.

   Sakura finally showed up, looking a little disheveled. Her eyes didn't twinkle like they used to. She didn't say hello. She simply nodded and sat silently. Both Sasuke and Naruto looked at her. 

   After a while, Kakashi finally decided to show up. He waved coolly, "Why hello! I got st-." Naruto gaped at the instructor.

   "No excuses! You're late again!" he pointed accusingly.

"So what's new…?" Sakura added dully. "Well?" She got up and walked into the forest, "Let's go, Naruto, Sasuke." Naruto looked at her strangely. _'hmm… she didn't say Sasuke-kun…'_ He shrugged it off. _'It's probably nothing I should be worried about.'_

Forest…

"HA!" Naruto screamed as he executed a smashing kick. Sasuke blocked and punched back. Naruto flew back slightly. "Uhhgg… damn it Sasuke!" Naruto charged at him. Sasuke watched cautiously and awaited Naruto's attack. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he heard Naruto yell. Multiple Narutos surrounded him. One held him while the others attacked. Sasuke blinked in surprise but held his ground. He used the substitute jutsu and reappeared on a tree branch. 

   Sasuke quickly formed seals with his hands, "Katon Housenka!" Numerous fireballs flew toward the shadow clone Narutos. Each one disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto dodged the remaining one and hit the ground. He coughed. "Naruto, don't you ever get tired of using that attack?" Sasuke taunted. Naruto coughed again. "Had enough?" Naruto smirked.

   "You wish." Naruto got up and wiped his chin. 

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, "What?!" A Naruto clone appeared behind him. The clone grinned wildly and made a tiger seal. 

   "1000 years of pain!" Naruto's clone prepared to strike, but Sasuke immediately jumped out of the way. It missed and puffed away. Sasuke sighed and landed next to Naruto.

   Kakashi and Jiraya grinned. "Good job Naruto, Sasuke." Kakashi stated, "You two got a lot better. Especially you Naruto, very creative." Naruto flashed his fox grin and nodded. "You trained him well, Jiraya." Jiraya's grin got wider.

   "Where's… Saukra-chan?" Naruto peered around. 

Kakashi shrugged, "She went off somewhere, 'to meditate' she said." Sasuke's fist clenched, "Don't worry," he said sensing Sasuke's uneasiness, "she'll be fine." Sasuke walked off.

"Eh? Where's he going?" Naruto asked. The two instructors shrugged. Naruto sighed, "Wait up, Sasuke!" He ran after him.

"Where are we going?" Naruto continued to question. Sasuke didn't respond. "Damn it Sasuke… will you just answer?!" 

   Sasuke's pace slowed slightly. "Shut up Naruto!" He jumped onto a tree branch and Naruto followed. "Sakura has to be around here…" _'hmm…'_  

They continued jumping from tree to tree until they reached a clearing. It had cherry blossom trees everywhere, and a small pond in the corner. Wind blew the delicate flowers everywhere, creating an illusion of pink rain. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

 "Beautiful…" Naruto whispered. Sasuke didn't say anything.

   The duo looked below them. There sat Sakura peacefully. Cherry blossoms surrounded her; there was one in her palm. She had a far away look in her green eyes, and then suddenly crushed the flower and threw it on the ground. She stepped on it. The wind grew fiercer. Sakura smirked. Suddenly a flash of light erupted from her.

   Sasuke and Naruto shielded their eyes. After the light had gone the two peered down toward the clearing. Sakura was nowhere to be seen.  Naruto's eyes widened, in the clearing there were no cherry blossoms, there was no pond. It was only a barren wasteland, with dead trees, and old weeds. "Wh-what happened just now…?" Sasuke couldn't answer. _'Gawd this is getting frustrating…'_ he thought. 

Jiraya and Kakashi sat silently against a large, old oak tree silently. The two had decided to train Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura together again, just for old times sake. So, they did just that, 2 years ago… At that time, Sasuke decided to leave the Sound Nins, and return to Konoha. "Orochimaru disappeared" was his excuse. It later turned out that Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body to sustain his immortality. Sasuke wouldn't allow that to happen, and fought the Sound Nins off until he made it back to Konoha. By that time, Orochimaru's body couldn't last any longer and he eventually vanished. 

   Unfortunately, Sakura's father died during that period of time, and since Naruto was out training with Jiraya, Kakashi was out doing B-rank missions, and Sasuke had yet to return, she had no real source of comfort. Her mother was torn up about the entire thing. She hasn't recovered quite yet, and Ino didn't really help because all she did was brag to Sakura about her and Shikamaru. (Despite that, she was happy for them) The only person Sakura talked to was Hinata, but that was rare and no one ever saw the two officially speaking to each other. 

   Then, out of nowhere, Sakura changed. There was no longer happiness in her eyes. She didn't smile, and she distanced herself from everyone. Rumors spread around Konoha like wild fire, saying that her mother was abusing her and sorts of things like that. Of course, that was never true… But Konoha eventually got used to Sakura's change, and everyone went on.

Sakura walked home alone. She didn't want to wait for her teammates, though; she knew they were going to follow her. So she rushed home. She sighed when she arrived. 

  "Mother?" she called out. No answer. Sakura walked past the living room and into the kitchen. She found her mother sitting at the dining room table sipping on hot tea. Her mother didn't glance at her. 

   "Enki…" Her mother whispered. Sakura glared at her mother.

"He's dead mom. It's only me here." Her mother lifted her gaze toward her daughter, but dropped it. Tears began to spill from her eyes. Sakura's fist clenched tightly, "Damn it mom! He's dead! Its been over two years would you get over it already?! You were always lecturing me to act a little bit more mature, and now look at you! I have to play parent now mom, and I'm sick of it!" Her mom continued crying. Sakura snarled and ran to her room. She slammed her door and covered her head with her pillow. She could still hear her mother weeping from the other side of the door.


	5. chapter 5

AN: Hmm… I think I'll add Shika/Ino… I'm not sure. Would you guys like that? It all depends on you guys, so tell me eh? By the way, thanks for your lovely reviews! ^^

Hidden Chapter 5: Mission Time

Disclaimer: I do **not** own Naruto.

  _'Sakura…'_ She glanced around. Again, fog and mist surrounded her. "Who are you?" She questioned. No answer came. "Who are you?! What do you want from me?!" She asked again desperately. "Please… tell me." Silence.

   _'You'll be mine.' _Her eyes widened. "Go away! Just leave me alone!" she felt uneasy. She sensed someone watching her, with their eyes boring into her. A hand slightly caressed her arm. A frigid chill ran down her spine. "G-… go away!" She waved her arms psychotically around her trying to get rid of the feeling. It grabbed her and began to drag her. An opening from under her melted away, and she began to get pulled under.

  _'I can't… I can't breathe!'_ Sakura thought. She tried to free herself but it was of no use. She continued to sink under. "Let go!" she attempted to scream. She began to give up, and felt herself surrendering to unconsciousness. It let her go.

     Sakura woke up with a start. She found herself gagging on her sheet and immediately removed it from her mouth. _'Uhhrrgg…no wonder I couldn't breathe.' _She brushed her uncombed her away from her face and looked outside. It was still dark, in the early morning. Konoha village was just waking up. She couldn't go back to sleep, and she didn't have to meet the others for a while. So, she decided to go for a walk.

Sasuke couldn't sleep all night. His thoughts continued to interfere with everything he did, and a certain pretty pink haired girl infested them. He couldn't get it. Why did Sakura bug him now more than she ever did, especially when she stopped bugging him? He ran his hand through his hair and looked around. He was right in front of Sakura's house. _'Crap.'_

   A window slammed above him. He looked up and found Sakura currently slipping out. She jumped down below. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Sasuke?" She asked confusingly, "What are you doing here?" He was extremely tempted to say, 'its not what it looks like.' But she took his silence as an answer instead, and began to walk away… slowly. 

   "S…Sakura?"

"Hm? Sasuke?" she turned around. Her green eyes landed on him. He couldn't answer. He just turned away and inwardly slapped himself. She gave him and awkward glance. "Sasuke, why are you up this early?" He shrugged. Sakura sighed. She almost looked irritated. "Aa… you were probably training, am I right?" she asked. He looked away again and nodded uncomfortably. "Hm, well your probably on your way home. I'll leave you then." She walked away. He felt flustered. His palms were sweating, and his cheeks felt warm._ 'What's wrong with me?!' _his eyes followed her retreating back.

   Awkward… she seemed to lighten up a bit. Perhaps Naruto was right; maybe it was just a phase. Still, he couldn't be too sure just yet. He growled. Green eyes joyfully bounced around in his mind. _'Leave me alone Sakura…'_

Naruto, ironically, met Hinata down at the ramen shop again. He was beginning to believe that Hinata's favorite food really was ramen. He asked her about it and she confessed: it was ramen. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face when he heard that. He met her at the ramen shop almost twice a week after that, four times even. They were strictly not dating. They just got closer. Though, Naruto was leaning toward the dating option, and he believed she was too. He wondered if she would go out with him. She liked him… didn't she?

   He scratched the back of his head. Hinata has always been shy. Would she finally come out of her little shell… for him? Would Neji approve of him? He gulped at the thought. Well, Hinata was cute, and she liked ramen. Was there more to it than that? She's so quiet all the time, and he realized he didn't know much about her. _'But I'd like to…'_

   He placed a hand under his chin. Didn't he like Sakura anymore? He constantly asked himself. A pair of pearl eyes flashed across his mind. Naruto blinked. No… he didn't have the same feeling for Sakura anymore. So… what's holding him back? *Sweatdrop, Rejection. His face darkened.

"Naruto." A familiar monotone seethed. The blonde boy looked over toward the owner of the voice. 

  "Eh? Sasuke… what do you want?" he asked. Sasuke walked toward him.

"I need to talk to you." Naruto gaped at him slightly, but nodded.

 The duo walked to 'the bridge.' Sasuke had been silent the entire time and Naruto, well, he was being Naruto. The two remained distant from each other the whole time, and would occasionally bump into some strange things, or Naruto mostly would anyway. Konohomaru jumped out of nowhere and climbed on him, later on, a shinobi challenged him, water was poured over his head, and a few girls from the public baths chased them half way across town. After that another group of girls ran after their precious Sasuke-kun… which was another run halfway across the town. _'This is will be the last and only time I walk anywhere with Naruto.' _Sasuke thought grimly. They finally reached the bridge and were almost ready to fall over. Naruto did…

   "So… Sasuke, what?" Naruto asked from the ground. Sasuke stayed silent for a while. Naruto began to drum his fingers impatiently.

"It's about Sakura…" the black haired boy finally whispered. Naruto stopped his drumming and looked at him. A sly grin appeared on his face. "She's hiding something," He continued, "I think… we should find out what that is."

Naruto blinked and picked himself off the floor. "Are you sure Sasuke? That might be a little dangerous duncha think? Sakura-chan developed quite a temper."

"Hn… I know, but there's something wrong with her." Naruto's grin got wider.

"Don't tell me _Sasuke-kun_ has developed feelings for Sakura-chan." He taunted.

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"Why are you suddenly interested in her well-being?" Naruto countered. Sasuke sighed.

"Tsunade said there was something wrong with her right? She's been over working herself. She'll be a nuisance if we bring her on a mission and she's not in good health."

"So she won't go."

"Sakura's stubborn. She won't give up that easily."

"Oh? I'm sure she would if Sasuke-kun convinced her not to." Sasuke's fist clenched. He grabbed Naruto's collar.

"Listen here Naruto, Sakura grew up, shes changed. She doesn't cling to childish things anymore, and her feelings for me-…" his eyes widened, …_'Are… gone?'_ he finished silently. It felt like a large boulder just fell on top of him.

"Aren't you going to finish?" Naruto asked. Sasuke let go of his collar and looked down at the ground. "Hm, She grew up alright. She has nice curves ne?" He tried to ease the discomfort surrounding them. Sasuke glared at him. "Ehhe…he..he..he…" Naruto put his hands up defensively.

"Shut up Naruto…" Sasuke said lowly, "I-… we, need to know what she's hiding. For all we know it could be a danger to her and us." Naruto nodded.

"But, maybe Sakura doesn't want anyone to know. It could just be something personal." He suggested. Sasuke shook his head. 

"I saw the seal Naruto."

"Eh? You've… seen it?" Sasuke decided to stay silent. He simply nodded. The two stayed silent for a while before Naruto broke the silence.

"Sasuke, that's the most I've ever heard come out of your mouth." He stated. Sasuke coughed.

Sakura's panted and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She'd been out training all day, secretly, of course. She didn't want the others to know. She struggled to get up, but she couldn't. Her knees began to wobble before they gave out completely. She sat up against a large tree and sighed. _'I need to get stronger…'_


	6. chapter 6

AN: Oook… On with the next chapter!! Alright, to answer your question XyoushaX… and some suspicions anyone might have… No Inner Sakura is not gone, she's just not present at the moment. You'll find out exactly where shes been, and what shes been doing, but that won't be for another few chapters so… I hope you guys wait until then and be patient!! ^.^

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto_… bleh.

Hidden Chapter 6: Ino?!

   "Jiraya-sensei!!" Naruto waved at his instructor. "Gomen, Jiraya-sensei, I was eating ramen and I-…" he stopped mid sentence. Jiraya's face glowered.

 "Naruto…" His instructor said slowly. Naruto gulped. "Baka yaro! You ate ramen and you didn't bring me any?! I was starving out here!" Jiraya clobbered him. 

"Eh…hehehe… Jiraya-sensei gomen." Naruto looked at him. "Eh? Sensei… are those…" he pointed, "… panties?" Jiraya's face darkened. *sweatdrop. Naruto burst out laughing. 

"Naruto! Get yourself under control we have a lot of training to do today!" He said ripping the panties off of him and out of sight. He glared at his pupil. "Naruto!" The fox boy couldn't stop laughing. A few moments later Naruto was finally able to get himself a little bit under control, though he let out a few chirp here and then. 

    The two walked toward the forest, half expecting an ambush from the women Jiraya just robbed. Well, Jiraya was. Naruto resumed his laughter.

"Hello." Kakashi waved at them. Naruto waved back. "Cheerful… as always." He said calmly. Naruto beamed.

  "Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto peered around. "Where's… Sakura-chan?" 

He sighed. "I sent her home. She had bruises all over this morning and was in no condition to train with us any further." Naruto looked at him quizzically. "She went out training by herself again. Naruto, you and Sasuke were supposed to be watching her." Kakashi's tone wavered a little bit.

   "Gomen, Sasuke and I were… preoccupied." Both Jiraya and Kakashi looked at him with wide eyes. "Eh! Oh no, wait! That… umm…" Naruto scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, "That… didn't come out right." He grinned. "I mean, we were just thinking of a plan to see what Sakura-chan's been up to."

   "And… you left her alone?" Kakashi asked. Naruto laughed nervously. He sighed, "Oi, what am I going to do with you two…" In the horizon, a black, spiky head of hair walked toward them. Sasuke shrugged and took his place near the bridge rail. 

   Sasuke showed up later than Kakashi… _'Awkward…'_ Naruto thought. _'Wait a minute…' _ "Kakashi-sensei? Why are you here so early?" Kakashi's eye widened slightly.

  "I lost my book." Everyone gaped at him. "Well, what are you guys waiting for, lets get started. Oh, and Jiraya… you don't happen… to have another copy… of volume three… do you?" He asked tentatively. Jiraya grinned and nodded. He looked into his bag of tools and threw Kakashi his beloved book. The jounin smirked under his mask. 

Sakura sat agitatedly at the ramen shop. Kakashi sent her home as soon as she walked out there. _'What is his problem?! I'm perfectly fine, and I am certainly capable of training with them. It's not like I'm going to die walking up a tree!'_ She thought.

  "Hi Sakura!" A high-pitched voice said. Ino walked up next to her and sat down.

"What do you want Ino-pig?" she stated dully.

"Ne? Can't a rival just stop by to say hello?"

Sakura looked at her, "You don't say hello to me unless you want something… what."

Ino pretended to be hurt. "Oh Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, I don't want anything. I would like to know how you've been doing."

"Fine."

"So… what've you been up to?"

"Nothing you would be interested in."

Ino smirked, "Try me."

Sakura shook her head, "I don't think so." Ino's eye twitched.

"Sakura, stop acting so negative! Open up a little will you?" 

Sakura sighed. "How are you and Shikamaru anyway?" She asked in a slightly lighter tone.

"Oh… ahaha… fine."

"What've you been up to?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in." Ino said grinning like an idiot. Sakura gave an annoyed look. _'Ha! Got you back Sakura!'_ Ino thought, giving herself a pat on the back.

Sakura snarled. "Ino-pig, if you're done talking, I'm going to go." Ino waved her hand dismissingly and continued to congratulate herself. "Whatever…" Sakura muttered.

Sasuke panted. The training had been harder than usual. It wasn't just him and Naruto fighting, Jiraya decided to join as well. He almost released the curse again just fighting Jiraya. Kakashi sat on the side, reading his beloved book. They had finally been dismissed, and he was currently on his way home. He spotted a blonde head running toward him. 

"Sasuke-kun!" she waved at him. He looked at her.

"Did you find anything?" he asked her.

"Sakura went somewhere… and-…"

"Ino. Did. You. Find. Anything." He ground out the words. His fist clenched.

Ino sighed, "No…" Sasuke glowered. _'She probably pissed Sakura off…Damn it…'_ "Well…" Ino continued, "I have a date with Shikamaru! I'll talk to you later Sasuke-kun!" She waved good-bye and walked away.

_'Ha… Ha… yeah. Right…'_ he thought. _'This isn't a great start.' _He punched the wall.

Naruto walked to the ramen shop to meet, who else, Hinata. It'd been a week since he thought about asking her out and now he finally had the courage to do so. _'Its now or never!'_ he thought.

"Hi Hinata!" Naruto said with a smile. The shy girl waved at him.

"Naruto-kun…" He sat down next to her. She blushed slightly. "Naruto, umm… I-…"

Naruto interrupted, "Hinata-chan want to go out with me?!" She looked at him with wide eyes. _'Uh oh,'_ he gulped.

"We… weren't… going out before?" She lowered her face. Naruto's smile dropped. He laughed nervously.

"Eh..hehehe… Hinata-chan, I just want to make it official that's all." Her face brightened up. _'Nice save Naruto!'_ he complimented himself. She nodded and smiled cheerfully.

Naruto walked home with a giant grin plastered on his face. Who would've thought, Loud mouth Naruto, and Shy girl Hinata. A weird combination, still, Naruto felt as if he were floating at the moment… until,

"Naruto!"

"Egh, Sasuke!" He huffed at him. Then he tripped and fell.

Sasuke stood above him smirking slightly, "Hmph, Naruto, get up." The fox boy did so.

"What do you want Sasuke?" He asked agitated. 

"Naruto, It didn't work. Ino couldn't get anything out of her." Naruto blinked.

"Eh?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Eh? Umm… hmmm…"

 Sasuke knocked him over the head. He fell down again. "Gah! Sasuke what was that for!?" Naruto rubbed his head affectionately. "I was listening!"

Sasuke's expression wavered slightly, "Baka, we need to find another way. We need to get Sakura to cooperate." 

"Well… why don't you just talk to her Sasuke?" Naruto offered.

"…"

"Oh… right… you don't talk… You're talking now!"

"…"

"Don't pull this now." Naruto sighed. "Fine. What should we do then?" Sasuke smirked.

   After a grueling 2 minutes of speaking to each other some more the two finally walked away triumphantly. Both with grins on their faces. Sasuke felt confidant about his plan and almost laughed out loud. His palms were sweating, and excitement shot through him. _'Now, I'll see what you're up to Sakura…'_ Suddenly a fist came flying out of nowhere and knocked Sasuke to the ground. He growled. "Naruto!" 

Naruto smiled broadly. "HAHA! Sasuke! Now we're even!" He ran away… or it's more like, he skipped away, in a not so frilly approach.

In the next chapter… Naruto and Sasuke's plan commence. Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Rather… random though wouldn't you agree? Or perhaps… its just fast paced to me. Ah well. Like it! Bwahahaha! I'm just… kidding. *sweatdrop


	7. chapter 7

AN: Ahh, thank you to Hikariko for finding the flaw in my story. I knew something was fast paced but I didn't know what. Foolish ne?  Ehehe, Thank you. So I guess for now, I'll have to fix up that problem with this one. Ok… so I can't exactly say that, because this was bound to happen whether you like it or not. ^^ Some of you are going to hang me for this, but it's all part of the story… I promise it'll be worth it later.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. 

Hidden Chapter 7: Problems

   Sakura was beginning to feel rebellious. This is the third time she's snuck out to train by herself, and now it's taking its toll. She could hardly stand up, but being the stubborn person she is, she couldn't give up. She willed her legs to move and got up again. _'Damn it! At this rate…'_ Her vision began to blur. She tightly closed her eyes. _'No, Keep going… don't get distracted. Just… don't think about it!'_ She punched a nearby tree with her right hand, the wood splintered. Silence filled the air for a few seconds, before it cracked and the tree fell over…

Naruto walked alone in the middle of the night. He couldn't get any sleep, and still had a lot of energy to get rid of. He circled the village about six times and after a long three hours. It was near dawn. He began to get sleepy and rubbed his eyes. He could feel himself dozing off. A crack sounded in the distance. He snapped his head up.

"Naruto…" Neji growled. Naruto looked over at the other boy. His eyes widened in surprise.

"What do you want Neji?" he asked casually.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Naruto looked at him confusingly. "I _was_ taking a walk, until you stopped me-…"

"No! I meant what the hell are you doing dating my cousin!?" Neji questioned threateningly. Naruto gaped at him.

"I-…"

"Shut up Naruto!" Neji grabbed his collar, "Listen to me. Stay away from Hinata!" Naruto kicked Neji's hand away and stepped away from him.

"Why should I listen to you?" Naruto was beginning to get angry. He put up his arms in a fighting stance. Neji smirked.

"You really going to fight me Naruto?" Naruto's expression remained serious. Neji shrugged, "I'm not going to fight you baka, but I'm warning you. Stay the fuck away from Hinata." Naruto blinked, and put down his arms.

"What's your problem Neji?! Hinata doesn't belong to you! She can do whatever she wants to!" Neji glared at him.

  "Do you know what the hell you're doing Naruto?! Are you even sure you like her?"

"If I didn't like her, why would I go out with her? Baka!"

  "You're being stupid Naruto. Hinata deserves more than your stupid words. You, of all people, should know that you're just using her as an escape away from your feelings for Sakura!" Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He leapt out and punched the Neji. The pearl-eyed boy stumbled a few steps back.

"Don't accuse me of such a stupid thing! Especially since you hardly know enough about me to assume anything." Naruto spat.

"Damn you Naruto. Hinata is my responsibility! I will not stand by and watch you play with her like some whore." Neji seethed.

Naruto snarled, "You didn't listen to a thing I said!" Naruto leapt for him again. This time, Neji dodged the attack and countered, by kicking Naruto square in the abdomen. Naruto fell. _'Damn, if I wasn't so sleepy…' _he thought grimly.

"I listened Naruto. Now listen to me. Stay away from Hinata, and think about your actions before you do them. You know damn well you aren't over Sakura. Don't play someone else, and particularly my cousin, in order to get rid of your own sorrow." Naruto snarled. His face darkened. Neji continued, "I already told Hinata you won't be coming around her anymore." Neji glanced warningly at Naruto before walking away.

Naruto's fist clenched. _'Deme…why that…I-… I have feeling for Hinata… I do. Don't I? He comes around here like he's some…' _Naruto rubbed his eyes roughly. _'Now I'm all confused!' _He punched the ground. _'The ground feels… kind of… comfy…'_ He began to dose off, but snapped himself awake. Naruto picked himself up leisurely and made it home before the sun fully arose. He stumbled almost the entire way. (If you watched from far away, you'd think he was drunk.) His fatigue was catching up with him. He collapsed on his bed as soon as he got to it. 

Tsunade looked into her crystal ball. She'd been monitoring everything in Konoha for the past few days, but today…

 Her head snapped up. "What's wrong Tsunade?" Jiraya asked. She shook her head.

"Something's wrong. Sakura, she's…" Tsunade said shakily. Kakashi and Jiraya looked into the crystal contraption.

"What… the…" Jiraya mumbled. A bright light erupted from it. The trio shielded their eyes. A crackling noise sounded and then the light faded. The crystal ball shattered.

Sakura gasped. _'So… tired.'_ She wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was near noon and it was the middle of summer. Which means, the heat would intensify soon. She heard a rustle of leaves in a near by tree. _'Gawd not now!'_  She threw a kunai toward the leaves. They proofed up and a hooded figure jumped down in front of her.

   It was another ninja. Their entire face was covered leaving only the eyes exposed. His eyes narrowed. "Leave me alone! I don't have time for you right now!" Sakura yelled at him. The ninja's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. Sakura began seeing double. She shook herself violently and forced herself to fight. She could see the ninja grin under his mask. She glared at him and put up a defensive stance. He leapt into the air. She blinked. Before she knew it, he was behind her.

_'He's fast!'_  He pulled out a kunai and prepared to strike. She screamed.

TBC…

More notes?

A short chapter… however, I'll make up for that in the next chapter. I don't promise, I know. The next chapter is longer. Though, I can't guarantee it'll be up soon. I've written it out, but I have to edit and reword it to my liking. Ok, I'm lying; It'll be up shortly. 

Besides that, the reason the other chapters have been going up so quickly is because my teachers didn't give homework for the past few weeks. Well, they're picking up their pace again… so updates won't be so often anymore. *sigh… 

   And yes, Neji will get what's coming to him.


	8. chapter 8

AN: alright!! Now we get to the juicy tidbits! 

Disclaimer…. Read the past seven chapters! "-_-

Hidden Chapter 8: Blurred

Naruto yawned and stretched. In all, he slept about four hours. He rubbed his weary eyes and turned toward his alarm clock. His head snapped up. _'Gah!!__ It's almost one! I'm late, soooo late!!'_ He sprang out of bed, and within five minutes he was out the door. _'Sasuke!__ You better not have started without me!'_ Naruto ran toward the forest.

Sakura screamed. The other nin sliced his kunai down her back. She stumbled forward a few steps and panted. She thought she saw his eyes widen slightly, but turned her attention toward her wound. _'It only grazed my skin…'_ She sighed in relief. "You're going to pay for that!" she shouted and charged at him.

The ninja's eyes widened slightly. He pulled out some shurikens and threw them at her. She smirked, and dodged them easily. They flew behind her and hit a tree. The ninja grinned under his mask and threw another kunai. It flew and hit the same tree the shurikens hit behind her. It was obscuring a string. A large branch flew and hit her back. She panted, blood spewed out of her mouth. The shurikens were connected to the ninja's fingers. He pulled them out and threw them around her. She gasped in surprise.

Sakura found herself tied to another tree. _'He… he saved me?'_ She looked below her. The large branch was on the ground now; if it hit her she would've been crushed. "I don't want you to get hurt now, Sakura." The ninja said in an extremely low voice. She spat at him. The ninja was a little taken back, but regained his composure. He jumped onto a branch near her. He pulled out a kunai and held it at her throat. "Now, you die. Such a shame, you didn't even put up much of a fight." He said. _'Did his voice just get lower...?' _She thought. "You pathetic girl…"

She glared at him. Now, she was angry. Her fists clenched and unclenched. She began to thrash around and pull against the strings. They cut into her skin and went deeper into her cuts. Still, she continued to try. Until, the ninja spoke again. "What the hell do you think you're doing? At this rate you'll lose all your blood before I could spill it." Sakura's eyes widened. _'His voice did get lower…'_ He raised the kunai toward her throat again. She could feel the cold metal graze her skin.

Sakura felt tears brim her eyes. _'This… is how pathetic I am… it took so little effort for him to just…'_ She felt deprived. This was how it was supposed to end? This was when her life was supposed to end, without love, without accomplishing her goals… without seeing Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, or even Ino again. _'No…I won't let that happen. I won't die, not like this!'_ A tear fell, and then another… and another… until she was sobbing uncontrollably. She snapped.

The ninja looked surprise. He didn't know what to do. Still, he kept his kunai where it was. She lifted her head up with a sinister smile on her face, despite the tears. Her right hand struggled against the strings before they snapped. She held it up, blood dripped down her arm. A single pink jewel shard was embedded on the back of her hand. It glowed brightly, almost blindingly.

_'There it is…'_ The ninja thought. He found himself unable to pull his gaze away. Her hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his throat. He gasped. _'When did she-…'_ Sakura freed herself completely free from the strings and jumped out. By the neck, she threw the ninja down toward the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thud. He snarled, but before he could react, Sakura leapt high into the air. "Don't you dare underestimate me!" She said using a line Naruto once said. The jewel's glow intensified. "I'll show you what I can do!" she continued. Beams of light swirled around the jewel. "Keito no jutsu!" She screamed. The light erupted from her hand and formed into needles. They struck their target.

The ninja was helpless. The light needles cut into him, not only that, they burned him as well. He screamed in agony. After the light died down, Sakura landed beside the ninja as he struggled to get up. She tackled him down and awkwardly enough, sat on him. She pinned his arms and his legs and made sure he couldn't move. She held a kunai to his throat. "Who the hell are you?!" she questioned angrily. He groaned. The needles were still burning into him.

Sakura looked at the eyes and gasped. She ripped off his mask. "Sasuke?!" Almost immediately, the needles stopped burning. He snarled and looked away. She began crying again. He gave her a neutral stare and gulped. A tear fell from Sakura, hit his face and rolled down his cheek. A pained look crossed his features before he hid it. 

"Sakura… I-…" He silenced himself. He didn't know what to say. Right now, all he felt was that he deserved was a thrashing or two. He grunted in pain. Her eyes landed on him. 

"Sasuke… are you alright?" she asked softly. He nodded. "Hm, well, I'm glad then." He looked at her surprisingly. _'She's that forgiving? I almost killed her for goodness sake!'_ "You shouldn't have gone so easy on me…" She growled. _'Nevermind…' _Though, he felt a little relief. If those needles continued to burn, he probably would've had all his insides melted completely. _'So this is why you train so hard… Sakura. You even created your own jutsu…'_ Now he saw how brilliant she was, in smarts, in talent, as well as beauty. She continued to glow even after her attack, and currently, she was sitting on him. His eyes began to travel up her legs. He blinked and tore his eyes away. 

Sasuke grunted, "Sakura… you're heavy." She blinked a couple of times before it registered to her. She looked down and blushed and promptly removed herself.

"Gomen, Sasuke…" She whispered.

"Sakura… this is why you go out training by yourself?" he asked. She looked away, but nodded.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Naruto, or Kakashi-sensei." 

"I wasn't worried." He said but immediately wanted to take back those words. It was just a normal reaction for him… A pained look crossed her features.

"It was something I had to do alone." She continued, "It's not that I didn't want to share it's just that…" _'You're pathetic…'_ Sasuke's words chimed into her head, "I'm… pathetic." She repeated. Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"Sakura…" he stated, "You shouldn't let what people say about you affect you so much…" He looked at her _'especially… what I say…'_ He added silently. Her head snapped up. He suddenly felt the urge to do something. She still had that hurt look on her face. He wanted to take it away. He lifted his hand and brushed her cheek gently. Her tears were now dry and stained her face. She leaned her face into his hand. A small smile graced her features, and his. Sasuke felt relieved all the sudden. 

A rustle in the leaves interrupted their blissful moment. Sasuke stood up in a fighting position, in front of Sakura. A streak of orange leaped out and screamed "Sasuke!" 

Sasuke put down his fists. He snarled. "What are you doing Naruto?!"

"Looking for you baka! What do you think you're doing starting the plan without me?" Naruto questioned, his eyes narrow.

"You were too late deme! I told you eleven thirty sharp." 

"That doesn't mean you should've started without me!"

"She would've been gone by then idiot!"

So, it continued back and fourth. Sakura began to feel woozy. Her vision blurred and her head was swirling. She cradled her head in her hands. A thump sounded inside her head, her insides began to churn. The thump got louder and louder, and it seemed, Sasuke and Naruto's voices were too. "Sasu-…" She let out a small whimper. The two boys turned their attention toward her.

The noise wouldn't go away, it only increased. She screamed out loud. Her head was booming. She couldn't take it anymore. The pain was so intense and she collapsed.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke rushed to her side and picked her up.

"Let's go Naruto. We need to take her to Tsunade." Sasuke said and carried her back to the village. Naruto jumped after him.

_'What's wrong with you Sakura…'_ Sasuke asked grimly.

Tsunade speed walked toward Sakura's hospital room. Naruto and Sasuke called her as soon as they reached the area. The two were currently standing beside their fallen teammate. "What happened?" she asked immediately. Their heads snapped up. 

"I… don't know. She… she just collapsed." Naruto said. Tsunade looked at Sakura's bloodied arms. "That… I don't know either… care to explain Sasuke?!" Naruto growled at him.

Sasuke glared at the other boy. "I-… we were training." He stated simply. Tsunade looked unconvinced, "You boys tell me what happened to her right now!" she yelled at them. They remained silent. She got irritated. "Why don't you two go wait outside." She pointed toward the door. They both silently walked out.

"Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed his collar, "What the hell did you do?! I thought we agreed to talk to her! All the sudden ya just jump out and attack her like that?!" Sasuke didn't retaliate. "What were you thinking?"

"Baka!" Sasuke yelled, "She obviously goes out training to do what else? Get stronger of course. She can't even stand to be around me, let alone both of us. You think she wants to talk?!"

"That's not a reason to slice the hell out of her!" 

Sasuke snarled and pulled Naruto's hands off his collar. "Look, I- At least I found out-…"

Naruto interrupted, "That doesn't matter now! For all we know she could be dying!" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Don't. Say. That. Naruto!" Sasuke said warningly.

"It could be the truth you know!" Sasuke remained silent. Naruto was currently glaring at the black haired boy. Heels clicked down the hallway, both turned their heads toward the noise. "Mrs. Haruno?" Naruto asked, "What are you doing-…" Sasuke jabbed him in the ribs.

"Of course, she's here to visit Sakura. Baka." He muttered. Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously. _'How did she know about Sakura-chan…?' _he thought. Mrs. Haruno didn't say anything; instead she just walked into the hospital room. Sasuke and Naruto followed. 

Tsunade turned her head toward the door. "Mrs. Haruno." She addressed. The other lady again, didn't speak. She went to her daughter's bedside and stroked her forehead lovingly. She grabbed Sakura's left hand. A pink jewel shard was embedded on it also. 

"So…" She spoke softly, "She has finally developed the second one."

"Mrs. Haruno… please." Tsunade started, "Can you please tell us what's wrong with Sakura. I've been examining her, and… there never seems to be anything wrong. There isn't an explanation for her condition and I-…" Mrs. Haruno's head snapped up.

"Of course there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. It's because it's only detectable by Sakura…"

They looked at her confusingly. "Mrs. Haruno… can you please explain?" Tsunade asked. Tears fell solemnly from the other woman's eyes.

"You're her teammates correct?" Mrs. Haruno addressed Sasuke and Naruto in a wavy tone. They nodded. "You all… deserve to know. I don't think she could make it alone." She stroked her daughter's pink hair. "Listen closely." She sighed. _'I'm sorry… Sakura… Enki… I'm so sorry…'_

TBC…

Ahhaha… ok Chapter eight is finally finished. This is by far the longest chapter. Woowy. I hope you all liked it and enjoyed the surprise. I thought I'd allow Sakura to have a precious moment with Sasuke… just cause… he just sliced up her body. I think she deserves it don't you? ^^

Bet ur wondering what Keito means. (aha…ha… I'm gonna tell you anyway.) It's actually a name, but I thought I'd use it. It means 10 blessings, and with God and light… yeah, I just thought it'd be a nice jutsu. It's more of a blessing for Sakura… Just thought I'd share, In case you guys wondered. Ha…ha… needles. *grins

Next chapter: Mrs. Haruno speaks… and some other things. Hope y'all wait around for it.


	9. chapter 9

AN: And now, the reason behind all this madness. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hidden Chapter 9: Origin

"Listen Closely." Mrs. Haruno whispered. Tsunade, Sasuke and Naruto all leaned their heads in to hear her out. She sighed.

**Flashback**

_Sakura sat silently by herself watching the sunset. Tears fell from her eyes; still she didn't make a peep. Her father had just passed away, but she couldn't let herself break down. So if she was to cry, she would to it silently, and privately. Perhaps Naruto's pride was rubbing off on her… _

_Light footsteps echoed behind her, though, she didn't pay attention to them. "Sakura…" her mother said softly. She came up next to her and hugged her. The older woman was crying, she could tell, her mother was going to break soon. Sakura looked at her mother and wrapped her arms around her. The two mourned their loss together… _

_ Sakura glanced at her mother, almost with angry eyes. She didn't like seeing her mother cry, and by the way she was sobbing now, she knew things would never be the same for her. Especially since, her mother now had to be the strong one. She wiped the tears away. "Sakura," her mother continued, "I'm sorry. Your father, he-…he was a great man and-…he never said it but he really-" _

_"Whatever you're trying to say, mother…" Sakura stated dully. "Just say it…" she placed her right hand under her chin._

_Her mother's eyes widened. She grabbed her arm. "Sakura!" she looked at the back of her hand. A small pink jewel was embedded in the back. Her speech wavered. "When… when did you get this?!" Sakura pulled her hand back and held it with the other._

_"I… I didn't even know I had it." She stared at the pink jewel. She couldn't pull her eyes away._

_"How can you now notice it!?__ It's your hand for godsake!" her mom was sobbing._

_"What the hell mom! I'm sorry. Jeez…I never saw it till… now." Her mother sighed._

_"I'm sorry Sakura, let me see your hand." Sakura gave her mother a quizzical look but did it anyway. "Your father had this too… I guess you inherited it after all…"_

_"What… are you talking about? Father had one of these too?" Sakura gaped._

_"Three, to be exact, One on his left hand, one on his right and one on his forehead."_

_"Really… how come I never saw them?"_

_"They only appear during battle, and when you first receive them. They're quite powerful actually."_

_Sakura's eyes widened. 'Does that mean… I can become stronger?' she asked herself._

_ "Let me explain something Sakura… you're happy right now aren't you? You can become stronger, and maybe Sasuke-kun will finally acknowledge you." Her mother smiled slightly, "It's more of a curse then a blessing Sakura." That wiped the excited expression off her face instantly. Her mother continued. "It's… what killed your father."_

_Sakura gasped. "Wha-…what did you say?"_

_"It killed your father Sakura…" Tears fell from her eyes, "I'm sorry." Her mother embraced her daughter lovingly, "I'm sorry… I don't want to lose you too…I planned on telling you when I came up here, I just didn't think… you'd…"_

_"Mom," Sakura whispered, "Tell me…what… exactly is this?" She held up her hand. The jewel shined. Her mother remained silent, "Mom. Tell. Me."_

_Her mother pulled back slightly and wiped her eyes, "Sakura, you weren't supposed to inherit it." She looked away. "Your father and I were married because my gene was dominant to his," She stroked Sakura's pink hair, "See? You have my hair, but I guess… it slipped through." Sakura smiled slightly. "Do you know why we named you Sakura after the cherry blossom?" She shook her head. "Well, for one, you have the color hair, and two it's a suiting plant. See, in order to survive a plant absorbs sunlight to make its own food, correct?" Sakura nodded, "Well, in this case, the jewels embedded in you absorb light and create charka that you can use in battle. Depending on the color jewel you inherit, you receive different things. The pink happens to be the most powerful, because well, the print around the jewel is the shape of a Sakura blossom, and Sakura blossoms are originally pink. Right?" Her mother smiled, "You're blooming."_

_ "It doesn't sound so bad to me mom. Are you sure it's what killed father?" Her mother glared at her._

_"Of course I'm sure. Like I said, it's more of a curse then a blessing. See, a few years ago a female ninja developed this seal from it seems, out of nowhere. Her village began to get curious, despite how much she wanted to hide it. After all, she had a child and a husband to take care of. So, the village's baron wanted to test its power. He ordered other ninjas to kidnap her, and they succeeded…She was brought to an obscured area outside of the village and kept there as an experiment. They locked her away in a dark dungeon (that means, her jewel can't absorb light.) They over worked her, abused her, raped her and even threatened to kill her child if she didn't cooperate." Sakura placed a hand over her mouth and gasped. Her mother coughed slightly._

_"That's… terrible." She whispered. Her mother nodded._

_ "Years went by and they still would not release her. She began to grow psychotic. Finally, she snapped. The baron, in front of her eyes beheaded her husband and tortured her son. Though, they released her son afterward. They still demanded that she release its power or else they would kill him too. Of course, she didn't know what it was, she didn't know how to release it. They left her for a while and during that time; she began to develop two minds. One with all her inner thoughts where she would curse her enemies and herself, who remained calm and composed. However, because of the rape she had to go through, she bore about three children. One of which, inherited the gene. They too had two minds."_

_ Fear shot down Sakura's spine. Her mother continued, " Anyway, as for the lady, the second mind began to benefit her. She learned how to control it and mentally torture her guards, for fun, of course, but she developed a second jewel, and soon, a third. However, as soon as the third developed her mind became unstable. The inner became the outer and she could no longer control herself. Eventually, her seals and her own mind were the cause of her death." Mrs. Haruno looked at her daughter. Sakura looked absolutely terrified. She hugged her daughter securely._

_"And her child…?" She asked softly._

_ "The child… I'm not sure…Listen Sakura, it's only a myth. Though, it just might be true, considering, your father- …" She began crying again. "Sakura, its those seals… they-…" _

_ "Mother… is there a way to beat the curse? Is there a way I can control my body even after I have the third seal?"_

_Her mother nodded, "There's a problem though, the third seal comes at anytime. So you don't know and you must always be on guard."_

_ "Mom…" she begged._

_"Sakura… in order to beat the curse you have to get stronger so that your body, physically, and mentally, will be able to hold it. However, the process is painful. When your second seal comes, the pain is torturous and the third is 100 times as bad. If your body can't handle it, your mental self will-…" Her mother choked. _

_ "So, if I can't become stronger, at anytime for…" Sakura gulped, "the rest of my life… or at least until I get the third seal, my mind will…" Her mother nodded. "I'll need help then…"_

_ Her mom interrupted, "No! You can't. They… Sakura, even if they helped, they can't last over 6, 7, even 20 years training with you. Believe me… the seals will torture your body slowly, but on the outside you no one will see anything. If you can train yourself so that your body can sustain the seals… then you should have no problem."_

_Sakura nodded, "Then…I need to start training…and I don't want Naruto or Kakashi-sensei to worry…Can't they help? If only for a little while?"_

_ "Perhaps…Sakura… don't you die on me." Her mother whispered. Sakura nodded and hugged her firmly. _

_"Mom… I'll do my best."_

__

_Days became months, yet Sakura would not give up her training. She missed get togethers with friends; she even stopped talking to some of them. Her mother broke down, and was in no condition to do anything in her state. Sakura had to take care of things at home now. _

_She wasn't even there to welcome Sasuke home. She actually lost almost all her feeling for him, but when she saw him again the feelings arose, so she distanced herself further. She didn't want to get distracted. After all, it was only a schoolgirl crush… right?_

_Her mother became worse, and Sakura had lost all patience with her. She began to get irritated by everyone, and pretty soon she just didn't feel like talking to anyone at all anymore. That was until Naruto had asked her to come train with Sasuke and him again. She agreed…_

_**End flashback**_

"That… is why she's…" Mrs. Haruno couldn't continue. "I thought she would be strong enough to train on her own, but it seems…" She stroked her daughter's forehead. _"She'll wake soon…' _ "I don't want to lose her too…"

Tsunade nodded. "Mrs. Haruno… we'll help her… we'll do whatever we can right boys?" She addressed the other two. They nodded.

_'… So this is why… Sakura… I might lose you…'_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _'but I won't let that happen. You won't be taken away from me too.'_

TBC…

AN: Ok… since this chapter was extremely long and quite boring I ended it here. Oh well, despite that, I hope that explains… almost everything. Ahh, and to answer Haze's question, Naruto is a jounin. I can't picture him as an ANBU can you?

Sorry it took a while… my teachers increased their homework assignments… especially now, since ehh finals, reviews… etc. etc. Well, I'll update as often as I can. Next Chapter: Some time for the couples to… hmm get along better? *cough, Neji gets what's coming to him.*cough

Ok so if you got confused, If Sakura can't be strong enough to hold the third seal, inner Sakura will kill her. (That's where she is … she's in omission right now) Basically, it was just a long explanation and the history of the seal. And yes, Her father got killed by his inner self also. Well, you guys will have to wait around to see what happens to Sakura ne? eheehe 


	10. chapter 10

AN: So since the last chapter was a little dreary… I'm going to liven things up a bit. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hinata woke early in the morning. She carefully snuck out of her bedroom. The guards were stationed around the Hyuga estate; tonight, or rather, this morning she'd have to be extra cautious. A noise sounded around the corner. She quickly jumped into the bushes and hid. When footsteps went by she silently prayed that it wasn't Neji, or her father. Whoever it was, passed. She sighed in relief and ran toward the estate walls. She threw her bed sheet up and around it and smiled in delight. She was going to make it….

"Hinata." She cringed… maybe not. "What do you think you're doing?" Neji seethed. Hinata turned around, but remained silent. She looked away and twittled her thumbs nervously. "Hinata. I'm not going to ask you twice. Answer my question."

"I… uhh… I was doing my laundry." She said quietly. She mentally smacked herself. _'What kind of an excuse was that?!'_ Hinata gulped. Neji looked unconvinced. Of course, he wasn't stupid.

"Hinata, I'm not stupid. (See?) Why are you trying to sneak out?" Again, she remained silent. He took her silence as an offensive answer. "Damn it, Hinata. You're sneaking out to see that dobe aren't you?! Hinata, he's not good enough for you so why do you even bother? He's just a waste of time and-…" Her fist clenched.

"Neji… shut up!" She yelled. Hinata might've been shy, but the time she spent with Naruto really had an affect on her. Although, she was still a little timid, she could speak a little bit better now. "Don't tell me what to do…"

"I can when it's a decision that affects the family and your safety." He spat.

"Just… oh… just butt out will you?! I can… I can do whatever I want to-…" It was beginning to get difficult for her to speak. "Why are you so overprotective anyway? You know Naruto is a good person… he's strong."

"That's not it Hinata." He said lowly. The images in of their battle in a chunnin exam replayed in his head. "I'm not convinced he's over Sakura and I don't want him playing around with you like that!"

"Naruto would never… and he's over her…" Hinata said unevenly.

"Hmph, and you're sure about that?" 

She looked up at him confidently. "Yes. He is. Naruto may care for her, but somehow… I think he accepted that she loved Sasuke."

"Ha… and what does he feel about you? What is that idiot to you anyway?!"

"I… I don't know. I… _'I love him…'_ I care for Naruto-kun… in the same sense Tenten cares for you…" Neji's eye twitched.

"Quit being a whore Hinata and leave Tenten out of this conversation. Just give up! It's a waste of time!" Hinata's rage was boiling. How dare he call her a… whore and tell her what to do. Who does he think he is controlling her like this? Her fists clenched tighter. Neji began to speak again, but as soon as he opened his mouth and made a peep, she leapt out and punched him. Neji spun and fell on the ground. He got up and wiped his mouth. His eyes widened. He almost lashed out, but controlled himself. She glared at him.

"Don't… don't accuse me of such things! I don't know how Naruto feels about me, but he… he affects me a lot Neji, and maybe if I can get to know him better and he gets to know me some more… maybe he can acknowledge me the same way I acknowledge him. I… I just want to try and I can tell he is too… I know what I'm doing… so quit being so over protective. I'm not a child!" She turned around, "Maybe if you quit jumping to stupid conclusions like you have been... you can learn from him too..." She grabbed her bed sheet, and began to climb. Neji got up, but remained silent. He glared at her retreating back. _'damn…'_

"Idiot." He muttered. A rock from the other side of the wall hit his head. His eyes snapped up, and then he realized, Hinata's sheets were attatched to his feet. A sudden tug pulled and he lost his balance and fell. "Hinata!! Why that little..." He snarled.

Hinata smiled and ran toward the local ramen bar where she knew a certain blonde haired boy would be... Her grin got wider... She made it...

Sakura woke up two weeks later, but still wasn't in any condition to train. Tsunade forced her to stay in bed for the next few days to make sure she would regain her strength. Her mother, as well as Tsunade, Sasuke, and Naruto have been acting weird. She couldn't help but think that they were hiding something from her. She shrugged it off all the time though.

Occasionally, Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Jiraya would come check on her. That way, they made sure she didn't go anywhere. She sighed; the sun shined against her face. It was taunting her. She looked at her alarm clock and growled, 10:30 a.m. Sakura forced herself out of bed. She wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyway. It was already late. Deciding to relieve some of her grogginess, she headed toward the bathroom and hopped into a nice, long, hot shower.

Sasuke walked agitatedly toward Sakura's house. Kakashi sent him to get check on her before they resumed their training. It was near noon, and the other three (meaning Naruto, Jiraya, and Kakashi) agreed to meet Sasuke there and then head to lunch after. He was beginning to wonder why Kakashi sent him, and him alone. But when he was about to ask, Kakashi waved good-bye, and walked toward Jiraya, muttering something about "gathering-data, and Come Come Paradise Vol. 6. " Naruto was nowhere to be seen for the moment. 

His eye twitched. He knocked on her door, half expecting her to fling herself at him and yell "Sasuke-kun!!" But… that didn't happen. He knocked a couple more times and received no answer. Now, he was beginning to feel a little nervous. _'Why isn't she answering?! Damn it...'_ He tried knocking again and then, _'Oh… screw this…"_ He began to walk away, but something occurred to him. _'What if she's in danger? What if that… seal… hmm.'_ He spun his heel and walked toward her door. He turned the knob and realized the door was open. Now he felt extremely nervous. _'Shit…'_

He heard a loud thud upstairs and immediately ran toward it. _'Hmm… where was it… second door to the right…'_ He gulped. _'Sakura…_' He opened the door cautiously and looked in, his knees almost gave out, his throat closed up, and a brief re-enactment of the fear Orochimaru shot through him occured.. Sakura was standing before him utterly naked, and currently had one foot out of the shower. She gaped and looked at him with wide eyes.

It took a while for the two to actually register what was going on. They both blinked. And then… A high-pitched scream echoed throughout the entire house… and perhaps the entire village of Konoha. His ear almost burst. Sasuke gaped and ducked the bowl Sakura threw at him. He somehow tripped over his own feet, rolled down the stairs, and landed painfully on his back. He growled. Sakura's surprise turned to worry in a matter of seconds.

She quickly ran down the stairs, clad only in a small white towel. "Sasuke?!" She went to his side, helping him sit up. "Are you ok? I'm sorry-…" He grunted and rubbed his back. He looked at her. He almost couldn't speak. Her strands of pink hair were dripping wet and her towel wrapped tightly around her, showed the curves. She was leaning over him with an extremely worried look on her face. _'Aa… this is what Naruto was talking about…Wait a minute… does that mean he's seen her-…'_ He thought irately. Her voice snapped him out of it. "Sasuke?! Answer! Are you ok?" He tore his gaze away from her body. 

"I'm fine." He said simply.

"Gomen, Sasuke. I… I was just a little startled that's all. I didn't exactly expect… that." She got up. "I'll get you some ointment. That sounded like a nasty fall." She walked toward her medicine cabinet. He shrugged and got up. As soon as he did, his legs stiffened up and pain shot through his back. He rubbed it slightly. _'Damn… it was worse then I thought. Stop being so careless Sasuke.'_ He scolded himself and walked toward her, but stopped. She was having difficulty reaching a top shelf, and her towel began to rise up slightly. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and tore his eyes away… again.

"Sasuke, can you help me?" She asked. Sasuke was slightly taken back. He cringed, '_That… almost sounded cute… Since when did I take interest in Sakura anyway?! What the hell is wrong with me?!'_ He shrugged it off. _'Arrgghh…damn it.'_ He grabbed the medicine needed. "There, that should help…" He nodded. She smiled slightly. "I'm guessing you're here because Kakashi-sensei sent you to check up on me." He nodded again. "It's near noon, shouldn't you guys be getting lunch or something?"

"Aa… we're all going to eat lunch later." He said uncomfortably. Still noticing that all she had on was a towel.

"I see." She answered abruptly, blushing.

"Are you going to come?" he asked almost in a whisper. She gaped at him. She really didn't expect Sasuke to ask her to come along with them. She smiled and nodded.

"Perhaps… Sasuke, if you don't mind…" Sakura cleared her throat slightly. He gave her a weird look. "Do you think you could wait outside for a little… while I get ready?" He quickly nodded and went out.

Sasuke sighed in relief. Right now, all his feelings were mixed. He tried desperately to wave off the feelings and images of her away, but no matter how much he tried… his cheeks were still warm, his palms were still sweaty, his mind was swirling and perhaps for the first time in his life he was afraid Sakura, and whatever he was feeling toward her. He sat on the porch steps.

Three shadowy figures walked toward him. Naruto ran toward him with Kakashi and Jiraya not too far behind. Jiraya laughed. "What's so funny?" Sasuke asked irritably.

Jiraya looked at him closely. "You're blushing." He answered. Kakashi's eye widened in surprise and he leaned closer to see also. "Aa…"

"Really?! Where?!" Naruto leaned in. "Ohhh, ahahaha Sasuke!" He pointed.

Kakashi nodded. "I know _that_ look." He stated. 

Jiraya agreed. "I know _that_ look too." Naruto looked at the two senseis questionably. "Look closely Naruto. Don't you see _it_?" Jiraya pointed.

Sasuke gave them an extremely uncomfortable look. Naruto smiled widely. "Oh…" Yes, Naruto felt dirty. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"What?!" Sasuke asked angrily. Kakashi's eye narrowed.

"Sasuke." He began, "You…"

Jiraya spoke next, "Saw…." He placed a hand under his chin.

Naruto finished, "Sakura naked didn't you?" He asked in a low, calm voice and then burst out laughing uncontrollably. Sasuke leapt out and grabbed his collar. Jiraya and Kakashi began laughing too.

"Deme… shut up Naruto!" He clobbered him. Naruto was still laughing… and partially gagging. 

"Ok… ok that's enough." Kakashi stepped between the two still, slightly chickling. "Let's go already."

Naruto regained his composure, stepped away slightly and nodded. "Come on Hurry!!" 

"Oi! Naruto!" Jiraya called out, "what's the rush?!" he shrugged

"Ramen!" Naruto leapt excitedly and ran toward the noodle bar before anyone could protest. Jiraya shook his head and chuckled, "Always the same..." 

"Well… ramen it is then." Kakashi said dully. "Sakura's coming too right?" Kakashi always seemed to know these things... without the information given to him. Sasuke nodded. Jiraya started to walk. "Go on ahead Jiraya, we'll wait for Sakura." The perverted hermit waved back and kept going. "Someone's got to keep an eye on Naruto." He shrugged. Sasuke remained silent.

Moments later Sakura came out of the house. Fully clothed to Sasuke's relief. Kakashi grinned under his mask. "Well? Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke?" She asked, "Shall we go?" The trio walked toward the ramen shop… oblivious to a rumble in the distance.

Naruto ran excitedly toward the ramen shop, for some reason, today, he felt extremely anxious to get to the bar as fast as possible. It was just a hunch, but something really good was going to happen to him. He laughed out loud, almost manically and then... he tripped.

TBC…

AN: Bad place to end huh? Well, a little comedy tidbit. A dénouement after the mini climax… more things to come later on… that's about it. Hope you all wait around for the next chapter…

Ahh, and if you didn't notice, in Naruto, whenever they mention a great technique they always say "It's 'that' move" or "Is he going to use 'it?' I found that amusing so I added a bit of that in there.


	11. chapter 11

AN: I guess… I'll just continue to liven things up. Since, you know, Sakura has recovered and all… maybe I should just throw a brick in the road. Why not? Ok, so we'll see what else pops out of my mind. In the meantime I hope you all will enjoy this **sasusaku** moment. There is Naruhina also, but the surprise is for Sasusaku fans. Afterall, there are certain characters still interfering with all these relationships, I can't write a full-blown Naruhina, just yet. Same with Sasusaku… because of Sasuke's lack of emotion, but that's enough of my rambling…. Carry on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Naruto arrived at the ramen bar and sat down immediately. He felt… inconsiderably giddy. A large grin was plastered on his face. The owner, noticing his presence, immediately began to boil as many ramen packages as he could. Naruto grinned. Someone came up next to him and tapped his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise. "Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelped, "What are you doing here?" The older man laughed.

"I came here to eat ramen Naruto." Naruto's eyes got wide. "I'll pay… don't worry. So is there anything you want?"

"Actually, Kakashi-sensei, Jiraya-sensei, and Sasuke should be coming soon. I'm planning to get that open pervert to pay for me this time. He always sneaks out and I get stuck with the bill." Naruto had an evil look on his face, "But no… this time, I'll get him back! Mwahahahaha!!"

Iruka sweat dropped, "Naruto, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit… anxious."

"How could you tell?" He asked surprisingly.

"Naruto, you're laughing like a maniac."

Naruto placed a hand under his chin, "Oh…"

"Naruto-kun?" A small voice asked from behind him. His head snapped up.

"Hinata –chan!!" Naruto's smile got wider. He jumped and gave her a big hug, laughing wildly. "You made it!"

"Na- Naruto-kun… a… air… air!!" She gasped out. He let go of her immediately.

"Gomen, Hinata-chan!" He scratched the back of his head. "Kakashi, Jiraya-sensei and Sasuke should be coming soon. Would you like to join us for some ramen?" She nodded quickly. Looking at Naruto, Iruka smiled 

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi walked toward the ramen shop. Kakashi pulled out his beloved book and began reading it half way, so he ignored his students for the time being. That was, until his ears picked up a low rumble. His head snapped up. Sasuke and Sakura apparently noticed it too. They stopped for a moment to listen closely. It was getting louder, and it was coming toward them. Kakashi's eye widened, "Sasuke, Sakura… run." He instructed. The two gave him questioning looks. Kakashi shook his head, "Too late."

The rumble got louder and louder. The trio gulped.

"Sasuke-kun!!" A chime of fan girls ran toward him. Sasuke's eyes widened a little bit. He cursed under his breath. The fan girls ran to him at a rapid pace, fighting and tearing at each other. A large trail of smoke behind them emphasized that. "Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke felt like he was in a horror movie.

"Sasuke." Kakashi chimed in. "Now, would be a good time to run." He could tell the jounin was laughing. "I'll meet you guys at the ramen shop… ok?" Before they could protest, Kakashi disappeared. Sasuke looked over at Sakura, who was just at a stand still. She was waiting for him to do something. Sasuke growled, grabbed Sakura's hand, and ran for dear life. Behind him, the group of girls wailed and still yelled "Sasuke-kun." And "Don't let him get away!" Those girls... were on the hunt.

Sasuke pulled Sakura around a corner in attempt to evade the crowd. It was no use. He could still hear them charging. He heard a little peep out of her. Then, out of nowhere, Sakura began to laugh and laugh uncontrollably. She was holding her sides and he could make out some words like "Sasuke-… fan-… bob." _'What the hell?'_ he thought.

"Sakura, get a hold of yourself." He stated. She was tearing now.

"Gomen, Sasuke." She waved. "It-'s just-…" She began to laugh again. He gave her an irritated look. "Sasuke-kun!!" _'Shit.'_ The fan girls found him. Sasuke gagged and began to run, but something held him back. Sakura grabbed his hand. She was still lightly chuckling, "Sasuke, you don't want to disappoint your fans now do you?" She pulled him. He snarled.

"Sakura let go. I'm not going to deal with those annoying-…" Too late, they rounded the corner. Sasuke wanted to get away as soon as possible, but Sakura still held him back. "Damn it! Sakura, let go."

"Why are you so afraid Sasuke? They're just girls." _'Girls that want to kill me.'_ He added silently. The fan girls spotted him. "Sasuke-kun!!" The squealed. Sasuke couldn't react. Sakura was still holding him. Panic washed over him. He winced slightly and prepared for the worst. In one swift moment, he felt a cool hand grasp his cheek, and an unfamiliar object cover his mouth.

The rumbling stopped, the girls stopped squealing, and Sasuke was to shocked to believe… that Sakura was kissing him. He could feel the girl's rage. There was a large intent to kill around him. Some of the girls started crying. He cringed slightly.

Sakura nudged him a bit, but didn't remove her hand from his face. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. None of the girls were moving, they were too shocked to react. A loud wail pierced his ears and a few of the girls walked away, weeping because they lost their first love, but most of them, had a large intent to kill the pink haired shinobi in front of them, or just pull Sakura away from him.

Sakura turned toward them, and emphasized that she was indeed, enjoying the moment, by pressing herself closer to him. Too angry, or stunned, they flipped her off, some of them, and they walked off swearing revenge.

After Sakura knew all of them were gone, she pulled away from him. Sasuke had an extremely wide expression. She smiled, and pulled the clear tape off his mouth. "Sasuke." No answer. "…Sasuke…?" she questioned again. His eye twitched, his mouth was set in a grim line. "I'm sorry Sasuke. It was the only way I could think of to get them away… it worked, didn't it?" She gave him an awkward look. He wasn't moving. "I'm sorry! I taped your mouth… so that way… well, technically, I didn't kiss you. You don't have to be worried or anything-… Sasuke…?" She looked worried now.

He looked up at her with narrow eyes. "Sakura." She winced, she was done for now. "Thank you." He whispered and cast his eyes downward. He felt awkward about the situation; he just didn't know how to react. Though, he did feel relieved. She felt a little worried about him, or was it just guilt. She didn't know. Perhaps it was a mistake, even trying to pull that stunt. It was for good purpose, but she felt as if she went overboard. She just wanted to help. Afterall, Sasuke has been tortured long enough, she thought he deserved a break.... although, she knew she was going to pay for it later.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered. His head snapped up. He had a disbelieving look in his eyes. _'Did she just… call me-…'_ he asked himself. "Sasuke-kun." She said again, "Are you alright?" her voice showed concern. He shrugged it off and nodded. A slight smirk replaced the grim line set on his face earlier.

"Come on. We'll be late, and I don't want to get stuck with the bill." He stated. She nodded and took a step back, just realizing that his hands were still wrapped around her waist. Her hand was still holding his. The two blushed and abruptly pulled apart.

"Well, then… let's go." The two remained silent on their way… well, it's not like they were talking all that much to each other anyway. Sakura never brought up a conversation, which Sasuke found strange, but didn't think too much of it. At least she wasn't annoying him and she got rid of his fan girls... that was a good thing right? _'Wait a minute... doesn't that mean they think me and Sakura-...' _He decided not to think about it anymore.

Sasuke and Sakura arrived at the ramen bar, in time to see Jiraya and Naruto having an arm wrestling competition. Kakashi sat in the corner, intently reading his book. Iruka was cheering Jiraya on, while Hinata was cheering Naruto on. It seemed looked like a zoo and pretty soon the owner and the waitress joined into the fun, as well as a few of the customers. "Loser pays for the bill!" Naruto said suddenly.

"HA! You're on." Jiraya stated. The two were still going at it and it seemed to get nowhere.

"Well now, at least none of us get stuck paying for it. Those idiots." Sasuke muttered. Sakura giggled. A loud smack sounded, Naruto slapped his hand on the table, "You perverted hermit, stop cheating!" Jiraya gaped.

"Me cheating?! Don't think I can't see what your clone." Naruto's eyes narrowed. Hinata seemed to be having a good time. She was still supporting Naruto. Iruka was laughing too hard to really do anything, and Kakashi finally put his book down and joined them.

He walked toward Sasuke and Sakura. "Well? You guys ready to order? You must be hungry…" They nodded. The trio sat next to all the excitement and ate their ramen. Occasionally, Sakura would laugh at something Naruto would do. Sasuke, again, regarded her strangely. She was never like this before. Hell, she didn't even want to go anywhere with them. Sakura picked up on him and smiled, "Its just been a long time since I've been out with you guys, I guess, I didn't realize how much fun I was missing out on." He remained silent.

After she was done with her meal, she joined Hinata in supporting Naruto. The duo was still going at it, and it seemed, there wasn't going to be a winner anytime soon. Sasuke gazed amusingly at their antics, but didn't say anything. Instead he watched from afar, and then there was Kakashi, who was still paying attention to them, but engrossed himself into his book again. "Give it up old man!" Naruto yelled.

"Ha! You wish!" Jiraya countered. In the end, it turned out Jiraya won, but Naruto had no money. Naruto got the last laugh though, because Jiraya got stuck paying anyway. The hermit cursed and everyone laughed. Iruka left shortly after, they could still hear his laughter down the street.

Sakura felt extremely happy she agreed to come. She somehow felt lighter. She tucked a few short strands behind her ear and smiled. A sudden presence stood next to her. She looked over at Sasuke. For the first time in three years she's noticed how much he's changed. His eyes were still sharp and dark as always, but his body had matured. He had a built frame and she looked up and noticed he was certainly a lot taller, perhaps as tall as Kakashi. As she was admiring him, she didn't notice that he too, was admiring her.

Her skin was glowing, she indeed matured greatly. Her hair was still short. Her eyes were larger, yet duller than they were before. Sasuke looked away. He didn't want to get distracted, not by one who has been a distraction all his life. He'd been trying to avoid that. He turned around and walked swiftly out of the ramen bar.

Sakura watched his retreating back with concern. _'Could he still be mad for that incident…'_ A hand was placed on her shoulder, "Sakura you should be getting home. It's about time Sasuke, Naruto, Jiraya and I have to go training." Kakashi stated.

"Can I come along?" she asked hopefully.

"Afraid not Sakura, You might get tempted to do some training yourself."

"I promise I won't. Please Kakashi-sensei, I just want to watch. Maybe… maybe I can learn a few things."

"Yeah!" a voice interrupted, "Of course Sakura-chan can come watch us train." Naruto grinned widely. "And Hinata-chan can come along too!" He took her hand and pulled her out before she could protest.

"Well, I guess… if you don't do anything to drastic. You can come." Kakashi said to Sakura. She smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" she ran after them.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kakashi?" Jiraya came up next to him and asked.

Kakashi grinned, "I think Sasuke needs a little distraction. Don't you?"

"You sneaky bastard…" Jiraya muttered with a smirk.

TBC…

AN: ahahaha!! I'm sorry that came out of nowhere. I thought I'd torture you guys by having Sakura indirectly kiss Sasuke. He has been chased around by fan girls for a long time.... she helped the poor guy out. So yeah, if you don't remember, Sakura hasn't been hanging around the gang for a long time, and they never really invited her anywhere becasue of her attitude toward them. You know how guys are... they just back off becasue they're oblivious... So yeah, thats the explaination for this event.

Well, they are 17 afterall, i think it's about time Sakura did something. Besides, it's her turn to relax a bit... I bloody do think, the girl deserves a small break. Shes slacking off, i know. She's going to DIE! I'm just kidding. I like Sakura, this is all for good reason, so don't worry.


	12. chapter 12

AN: I love your reviews. Thank you all. I would give you hugs, but that would be a little awkward no? So I'll hug the computer screen instead. Mwahahahaha!! I'm kidding, really though, I'm grateful.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 12: Abandon

"What are you planning Kakashi?" Jiraya questioned his friend with a raised eyebrow. The jounin shrugged nonchalantly. "Uh… huh, yeah that helps a lot." Jiraya's eye began traveling along the streets of the village. Young female teenagers were aligned along the streets. A lot of them looked like they were about to cry. He decided to try and comfort them, but unfortunately, Kakashi held him back. "Hey! Ak! Kakashi, let go, those poor women are in need of some attention." The ninja's grip became stronger. "Alright, alright, I give up." Though, his eyes kept wandering. "Why are there so many girls out here, and crying…?"

Kakashi allowed his eye to travel around slightly. He grinned. The young ladies were muttering something about "Sasuke-kun." His eye widened slightly when he heard, "Sakura and bitch" all in one phrase. Since when did these girls develop such a mouth? He was slightly confused. What happened between the two when he left anyway? He didn't think leaving the two of them alone would cause such a weird situation. Perhaps it was his fault these girls were weeping their eyes out at the moment. Still, he decided to ignore the situation.

It was true, he sent Sasuke to check on Sakura, hoping something would happen between them, he just didn't expect him to spot her naked and getting out of the shower. Then he left the two alone to walk to the ramen bar, again hoping they would do something. Unfortunately, he didn't plan Sasuke's fan club to come and chase after the guy. So what exactly did they do anyway? He sighed.

"Kakashi…" Jiraya murmured. "Seriously, what are you up to?"

"I want Sasuke to open up a bit more." He said casually. The older man regarded him strangely.

"Why… there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the boy. I think he has made progress, why are you pushing it. Especially with, of all people, Sakura…?"

The jounin shrugged, "He cares for her."

"And you're going to meddle into their relationship? A little blunt, don't you think? That's… not the real reason is it…?" Jiraya placed a hand under his chin.

Kakashi shook his head, "Sakura was one of my students, and she wasn't all that strong. She used to chase after Sasuke like all the other lovesick puppies in this town, but for the past two years her attitude toward him changed. She's more mature… she has gotten stronger and she's basically over him, but her training is just too far intense. Just maybe, if she can fall for Sasuke again like she did before, she will stop her training and chase him around again. Perhaps then, she won't over work herself and we can get back to normal again. Even if it annoys Sasuke to death, he cares enough for her to tolerate it."

"Good plan… but seriously Kakashi, is it worth it? I mean… it sounds a little… iffy."

"It has flaws, but she's starting to fall for him again."

"How do you know that?" Kakashi remained silent. "You do know she's training for a reason right?"

"To get stronger…?"

Jiraya raised his eyebrow. "You've forgotten all about her seals haven't you? They aren't normal Kakashi. Though you've never met him, Sakura's father was a great ninja. He was quite powerful, and it was because of those seals, that he was so strong."

"No I didn't forget… What's your point…?" Kakashi glanced at him.

"Do you know how he died?" Kakashi's eye dulled. "It's not your concern, I get it, but it will be as soon as you find out what they do." Jiraya went on to explain Sakura's current situation as the two of them walked toward the training spot. After all that they made it, with Kakashi looking a little ghastly.

"And you know this… how?" he asked.

"Haruno Enki and me go way back. We fought together in some missions, and such-…" As the two arrived, all of their students glanced at them with bizarre gazes.

"You're late." Naruto muttered.

"Jiraya was-…" Kakashi began.

"Oh no, don't you blame it on me." Jiraya muttered and smiled, "We got lost."

The students stared at them blankly and sighed. Kakashi's eye remained on Sakura the entire time. He felt a little awkward for the moment. If he knew she was in this position, he would've allowed her to train with them a lot sooner. He was a little surprised that everyone knew accept him. It looked like his plans for Sasuke and Sakura were canceled.

No wonder Sasuke and Naruto were treating her a little more delicate than before, but judging from what Jiraya told him. Sakura wasn't fragile at all, just physically weak. To him, it seemed like she needed to train and prepare herself mentally rather than physically. Besides, he hasn't forgotten about the people after her, although it seems as though the others have. It would be more dangerous if she trained out in the open like this… so who could train her mentally as well as physically…? Only one person came to his mind…

"Alright! Finally! It took you two long enough." Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Sasuke! You better be ready this time! I'm going to kick your ass." The other boy smirked.

"Don't over do it, Naruto, Sasuke." Kakashi said waving to them. Hinata and Sakura sat down near a tree to watch the two. They began their training.

It was like this for a while, when Naruto issued a challenge to Sasuke. They both began fighting, but Kakashi and Jiraya, seeing a lot of opportunity in this form of training decided to let them do this more as a regular exercise.

Naruto was knocked onto the ground and sputtered a little bit.

"Stupid Sasuke…" He got up glaring at him. Hinata giggled a bit.

"You can do it Naruto-kun!" Hinata said in a timid voice. Naruto stiffened a bit, and gave her a smile.

"You're going to pay _Sasuke-kun!_" Naruto mocked. Sasuke seemed unaffected by the comment. Instead he smirked slightly and threw a kunai at him. Naruto jumped into the air and threw shuriken at Sasuke, who dodged the flying metal.

Sakura giggled slightly, "Go Sasuke-kun!"

The two guys were still at it attacking each other and it seemed the fight was going nowhere. Hinata and Sakura were still cheering the two on though. After a long while, and a shortage of chakra, the two finally looked like they were slowing. "Is this how it always is… Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked dully. She had given up cheering a while back. The instructor nodded and scratched the back of his head nervously. "How do you two have enough patience to stand around for that long and watch the two of them?" Sakura peered around, noticing that Jiraya was gone. "Never mind, where is that old hermit anyway?"

Naruto and Sasuke landed beside the two girls panting. "I swear, Sasuke, I had you."

"Hmph, you wish." He muttered. Naruto glared at him.

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke gave him a curious glance. His eyes widened slightly. _'Oh shit!'_ Sasuke had no time to react as one of Naruto's clones appeared behind him and held him in a lock. Naruto leapt up and punch Sasuke right across the face, but his hand landed on something hard and splintery, yep, not Sasuke. A block of wood appeared, smeared with some of Naruto's blood from the hard punch.

"Jeez Naruto." Sakura muttered. "Trying to kill him or something?" Sasuke landed beside her.

"As if he could." Sasuke smirked.

"Ohh… haha, Sasuke is that a challenge?" Naruto grinned.

"Well," Kakashi waved his hands dismissingly. "I think that was enough for one day." Both Naruto and Sasuke glared at their instructor. He smiled under his mask. "It's getting late you two. The both of you dragged the training session on a little longer that usual." Their glares remained.

"Oh come on Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto murmered, "I can still go some more-..."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, interrupting the intense moment. "Do… you think you could walk me home?" Naruto gave her a surprised look. She twittled her thumbs.

"Uh… sure. I guess…" He felt a little awkward thought, what if he encountered Neji again? He wasn't entirely sure if Hinata snuck out, and if she did, how did she get past Neji… Still, if Hinata was here, that must mean she got past her cousin right? Nothing could go wrong. He kept convincing himself. She smiled and approached him. "Well, I guess killing Sasuke is held off for the moment." Sasuke smirked slightly. He waved good-bye and walked along side Hinata.

Sasuke snarled. He just lost a good opportunity. "Sakura." He heard Kakashi say as he approached the pink haired girl. Sasuke's eyes stayed glued on the jounin.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she asked curiously.

"Sakura… about your training… I think I've found a solution."

"Really?! You mean, you'll let me train with you guys again?!" Her eyes brightened inconsiderably.

"No." Her face darkened. "You're going to train with Tsunade."

"What?!" Sakura, and surprisingly Sasuke asked at the same time. Suddenly, Jiraya appeared from behind some bushes holding a large telescope, a slight tint of red on his cheeks. Sasuke and Sakura were still in shock and Kakashi's face remained dull and emotionless. Jiraya looked at the trio with a questioning look. "Did… I miss something?"

TBC…

AN: Alright, this is the last update until school ends. It's finals week, and yep, I'm going to cram my head into textbooks and begin the study fest, so… yes, I hope you all were ok with this chapter. I would add some things here and there, and personally, I think it could be better, but ah well; I'm in a rush to get this chapter out before its too late...

By the way, I have a new fic out called Drowning In Blood. A vampire fic… If you wish... check that one out too. -ahem- Please? O.o


	13. chapter 13

AN: Well… finals are over, and so is school! Woohah, I have more time to update! Anyway, Onward.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 13: Revitalization

"What?!" Tsunade screeched. Her voice echoed throughout the building. "You want _me_ to train Sakura?! Are you nuts Kakashi?"

Kakashi's eye remained dull. "Yeah." He answered simply.

"I don't have time, as sorry as I am for her condition, I just can't do it." She placed a hand over her forehead dramatically, her eyes fluttered.

"Tsunade… you do nothing but sleep all day, perhaps it'll get you into shape again." He shrugged.

She looked down at her enormous chest and ran her hands down her curvy body. "Kakashi? Are you saying I'm fat?" She glared at him. His eyes widened.

"No, I mean-…"

"Gotta admit, I look darn good for a woman entering her sixties." She licked her lips.

"You're fifty-five." He stated out of the blue, but then got back on subject. "Would you stop checking yourself out for a moment and listen?" She waved her hand dismissingly. "Look, I would prepare her for this, but I can't connect with Sakura… like I do with Sasuke, and possibly Naruto. She's different Tsunade. I never thought I'd have to train her more than I have because Sakura is someone who would get better on their own. This… is a rather difficult situation." He sighed.

"It's because she's a girl huh?" He nodded. She smirked. "You're starting to talk more you know that right? I think you're hanging around Jiray-…"

"Tsunade, will you just do it?" She ran a hand through her hair. Her eye was twitching slightly… Kakashi's very persistent.

"Look, I won't be able to do it for the next, however many years it takes for her to develop the third seal, and even if I do, how the heck am I supposed to know if she's strong enough."

"I asked you because you, of all people, can help her prepare mentally. From what I understand about her situation, she doesn't need physical strength."

"So?"

"Beat her down mentally." He grumbled.

"Why can't you do it?"

"Well, I can't have my student think I'm a jerk now."

"You're a jerk anyway Kakashi." He blinked. "Why not ask Sasuke, or Naruto even?"

"I'd take off my mask before I allow those two to beat her down with comments. Besides, they both have a soft spot for her."

"And… I don't?" He shrugged; his eye twinkled evilly. "I have no choice, you already told her I'd do it didn't you?!" She fumed and poked him in the forehead.

"I knew you'd do it." He grinned under his mask.

"I hate you Kakashi." Tsunade replied bitterly. She didn't have anything against Sakura; in fact, she was looking forward to this training sequence with the pink haired girl. It's just… she would never admit it in public, but she was old. She might now have time left… but then again, she was one of the three legendary sannin… she was a doctor… she could find her way around things… Perhaps she was just having troubled thoughts… what if she couldn't get Sakura strong enough… then that would mean, her death… and Tsunade would be the one to get the blame, but she's never lost a patient before, Sakura, technically isn't a patient, but she would not lose Sakura either, not like she lost her loved ones, especially when she had the power to help. She would not allow history repeat itself any longer, not for her, or Sakura. "Alright! I'll do it!" She said proudly.

"You didn't have a choice." Kakashi muttered. Tsunade glared at the jounin and clobbered him once over the head.

"Naruto-kun… Thank you." Hinata whispered as they reached the Hyuuga Estate's front gates. Naruto grinned widely and scratched the back of his head. He was still slightly nervous about the situation, but right now, he didn't have anything to say. Hinata had a worried expression on his face. Naruto wasn't talking… he was just standing there. Something's very very wrong with him. "Naruto-kun?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Eh? Hinata?" he snapped out of his mild nervousness.

"Are… are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" he replied quickly. The gates squeaked open. Naruto stiffened up. A familiar chakra graced itself into his presence.

"Naruto." Neji said simply. "Hinata." He half growled. Hinata was suddenly closer to him. Neji's gaze passed between the two.

"Hello you two! Aww, you're so adorable!" a cheerful voice chimed in. Tenten walked out of the mansion behind Neji. Instantly, Naruto and Hinata stepped a little further away from each other. "Don't you agree, Neji?" Tenten gave a private wink to Hinata.

"No." He replied simply. She smacked him in the playfully and pushed him forward.

"He's just kidding. I think." Tenten whispered to the two. Neji glared at her, and then moved his gaze toward Naruto. She could tell he was about to start something. So, Tenten latched onto his arm. "Well, you two look like you need to be somewhere, or be doing something-…" Neji elbowed her and almost leapt out at Naruto. She glared at him. "Hmph. Well, we'll be going!" Tenten released Neji's arm and began to walk off. Neji's eyes followed her and he began to walk after her, but she threw a kunai right at his feet. He stopped and glared at her retreating back.

Hinata giggled. Tenten was almost a sister to her. She began to hang around the mansion when Hinata was around fourteen, which would make her fifteen. They would talk… or Tenten would talk and Hinata would listen, not to mention, Tenten kept Neji under control when Hinata wanted to do spontaneous things. Neji was well, after the chunnin exam, and his fight with Naruto, and when the entire truth of the Hyuuga sacrifice was uncovered… Neji became over protective of Hinata, as well as certain members of the head family, and now he was an ANBU along with Tenten. She will never admit it, but she liked having Tenten around, even though it didn't seem like it.

"Tenten!" Neji yelled after her. She kept walking, obviously upset at him for something. Still, Neji was oblivious.

"Neji." Naruto started.

"What?!" He responded, irritated.

"Shouldn't you… go after her or something?"

"Don't give me advice on my relationship ok?!" Both Hinata and Naruto were a bit taken back. They didn't think he'd come right out and say… it like that. Neji looked a way, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Naruto couldn't resist. "Woah! Neji! Way to go buddy!" he smacked him on the shoulder.

Neji daintily picked Naruto's hand off his shoulder. "I. Am. Not. Your. _Buddy._" He said matter-of-factly and ran after Tenten.

Naruto turned toward Hinata. "That was interesting." She nodded.

"She'll keep him preoccupied. For how long, I don't know." Hinata replied.

"Wow, Neji and Tenten… so what about Lee…?" She shrugged.

"They haven't seen him around anywhere." Naruto nodded.

"Well, Neji-…" Naruto spoke, but got cut off by Hinata.

"Isn't here."

"And-…"

"Tenten is keeping him busy…"

"So that means-…"

"We're free… for the time being."

"Would you let me finish my sentence?!" He asked her jokingly. "Yeah… so we're…"

"…" Hinata stared at him. Naruto leapt up gleefully and gave her a giant squeeze. She gasped in surprise. He was laughing out loud, and she couldn't help but join him in doing so.

Sakura sat alone by herself in the forest. The wind was blowing. Sakura blossoms flew everywhere. They surrounded her. Oh, how she loved her flower… A sudden wisp of the wind sent her flowers in a wrong direction. _'Someone is here…'_ Her eyes snapped up. A familiar figure loomed over her. "Sasuke-kun?" His gaze landed on her.

He bent down to her level. "What are you doing out here… by yourself, Sakura?" He asked, emotionless. "You know you shouldn't be."

She had to smile. "I know, but… I just wanted to be by myself, to think about things." She gave him a curious look. "What are you doing here?"

"You… are in the spot I train at." He stated and began his training, regardless of her presence.

"Do you do anything but train Sasuke-kun?" He didn't answer. She got up and walked toward him. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. _'What's she up to?'_ "Sasuke-kun? How do… you become stronger?" _'Dumb question.'_ "I know, I know, you're probably thinking it's a dumb question." He blinked. _'How did she know?'_ "But-… I-… I need to become stronger. It's really important to me."

"Why?" He asked lowly. He already knew why, but she didn't know that he knew.

"It's just…" _Oh gawd, should I tell him?'_ she asked herself. "I feel… pathetic." It… well, it was almost the truth. Did she really expect him to say she wasn't…? No. He just stared at her, and then continued his training. "Sasuke." He winced. He didn't see that coming. Inwardly, he liked **her** _Sasuke-kun_. She knew how to push buttons. Damn her.

A Sakura blossom flew underneath his nose. Its light scent was intoxicating him. He looked at her, and just realized… _'She might die… right now. Sakura… dead. Before my eyes… and I can't help her…'_

A giant gust of wind blew across the two. "Sakura… do you need help?" He almost wanted to take his words back. Sasuke is never going to be this light hearted and careless again. Next time, if he were going to show any hint of emotion toward Sakura, he would stab himself in the leg with a kunai.

She smiled, "I think training with you and Tsunade would be a difficult task… besides… you'll have to spend time with me. Without the others around…"

_'Oh… yeah…'_ He looked away. "Something I'll have to deal with." He responded. Her expression was priceless; she looked at him with large surprised green eyes.

"No…"

"I'll help Tsunade… train you."

"Really?!" She blushed slightly at her outburst. He shrugged. _'Maybe… this was a bad move.'_ He cringed. _'Is she going to hang on me like-…'_ His expression darkened. An image of her body stepping out of the shower suddenly appeared in his head. _'Oh gawd, I'm thinking like a pervert. Snap out of it!'_ As Sasuke thought about things, he didn't notice the wind pick up. _'Was that Sakura…? No.'_

"Sasuke! Sakura!" a shrill voice screeched. _'Oh gawd, don't let it be-…'_

Sakura looked above her. A large fan hovered over the two. "Temari?!"

TBC…

AN: You remember that brick I was going to throw into the road? There it is… or… there she is. There's one more brick though!


	14. chapter 14

AN: Well, I see Temari was a real fascination. Anyway, now you'll see why…

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of typing this… so yeah…

"Temari?!" The blonde girl landed her fan in front of the two.

"Yeah, got that right." She sneered and leaned closer so that she was face to face with Sakura. Sasuke kneeled down beside them, curiously… Temari placed a hand under her chin. "What's this I hear about you two going out huh?!" she asked angrily. Both Sasuke and Sakura's jaws dropped. They didn't expect that to happen. People actually gossiped about them? Word really does spread like wild fire…

Sakura waved her hands defensively in front of her face, with a sweat drop. "It-… uhh it was just a little rumor going around that's all!" She laughed nervously. "Really!" Sasuke was gagging slightly on the side. His eyes were wide. He rubbed his temples… _'This is bad, this is bad…'_ A million things ran through his head… and he summed it up with just one word. "Shit."

"Got that right!" Temari said loudly. "So, is it true?"

"Of course not!" Sakura and Sasuke said at the same time. Temari looked unconvinced. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Sakura. It was all her fault, and she's denying it? Probably for his sake and reputation… Always putting others before herself… sort of. Naruto's an exception of that rule… Sasuke was now thinking of that concept. So she put him before certain others… but she lost all her love for him… So she cares? He blinked… realization hit him.

"I don't believe it…" Temari ran a hand through her hair. "You two are alone in the woods together… and half the women of Konoha are mourning over the loss of their poor Sasuke-kun… Really, do you think I'm stupid?" They both shook their heads nervously.

"Believe me Temari, nothing's going on-…" Sakura stated.

Temari cut her off, "Oh really? If that's the case… Sasuke-kun, would you like to go out with me?"

"No." Sasuke answered with a slight crack in his voice. He looked away uncomfortably.

"Uh huh, see, why would he say no?" Temari questioned Sakura.

"Because he says no to everyone! Even me!" Sakura argued. Something dawned on her… "Temari, what are you doing here?"

"I was assigned to be a guard for Kazekage. The wind is really paranoid since the whole Orochimaru thing… Kazekage came to speak with your Hokage… and well, I didn't really get to do much while I was here, so I thought I'd tour around and let Gaara and Kankurou take care of the rest. That was until… I heard about you two… and here I am."

"Really?! Gaara's here too?" Sakura asked surprised and curious. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why are you interested?" Temari asked back. Sasuke stiffened… what if she was?

"No, just shocked that's all. How is he?" The two girls continued at it. Sasuke on the other hand, was for some reason, relieved…

"Well, it's such a shame you two aren't going out." They got back on subject. "Are you absolutely sure?" Temari leaned in close to Sasuke looking at his eyes. Sasuke glared at her.

"Of course we're sure!" Sasuke growled. Sakura nodded.

"Positive?" Both Sasuke and Sakura sighed.

"We're teammates… besides it would be awkward. Isn't that right Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke gave her a weird look.

_'She finds it awkward to be around me now?!'_ he asked furiously to himself. _'First you nearly kiss me and then you deny it, and now you say it's awkward if we were going out!? Make up your mind woman!'_ "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura glanced at him worriedly. Sasuke snapped out of his little self-debate, but then went at it again… _'Maybe it's her time of the month…'_ Sasuke felt himself freak out slightly. _'Something's wrong… Hmph, since when did I care about what Sakura did… or say… or act… or about her naked body coming out of the shower-… Stop it, stop it, stop it!'_ He cringed. If Naruto were here, he would be laughing his butt off.

"Sasuke!" Temari smacked him. Out of reaction, he almost hit her back, but stopped his fist an inch from her face. Temari didn't even blink. "What the hell are you doing?!" She asked angrily. He put his fist down and sighed.

"Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with concern in her voice. He shook his head. She could read him like an open book. She glared at him, "Typical Sasuke, always closed up." It was his turn to glare back. _'If your brother recreated the death of every family member in your head and told you to live in fear to kill him for the rest of your life, what would you do?! Tell the world?!'_ He snarled and looked away. Sakura shrugged and sighed.

"Sakura!" A voice shrieked. The trio turned their heads toward the voice. Ino came running at them, Shikamaru in tow. She smiled cheekily. "What's this I hear about you and Sasuke-kun?" They both sighed.

Naruto walked back to his apartment with a large grin on his face. This could be the best day of his life. He entered his home and fell on his bed, deciding that he needed a nap.

A puff of white hair appeared outside his window. Jiraya grinned and climbed into his pupil's room, contemplating whether he should leave him… or wake him up here and now. He placed a hand under his chin.

Naruto was drooling… a lot. A small pond was forming around his cheek. Jiraya briefly wondered if he was going to drown. The hermit sat down, deciding to wake his pupil up, but if he were going to… it would be with style… Jiraya grinned.

He filled up a cup of hot water and dipped Naruto's fingers into it, expecting the boy to pee. Unfortunately, for the next hour or so of watching him… that didn't happen. Jiraya grumbled irritably. Isn't that trick supposed to work all the time? He scratched his head. Naruto grumbled something about 'ramen' and rolled over knocking the cup down and spilling it's hot contents all over Jiraya. The hermit wailed and panicky ran around the room. Now, it looked like _he_ peed instead. Jiraya grumbled.

After that, he tried everything and still, Naruto would not wake up. He lifted Naruto up by the collar and punched him in the face, which resulted in a large black eye for Naruto but still he wouldn't wake up. "Probably knocked him out even further…" Jiraya muttered and sighed. Suddenly, a light bulb flickered. He snapped his fingers and ran into Naruto's kitchen, grabbing a cup of instant ramen. He kept the noodles dry and grinned evilly. Jiraya turned the cup of ramen upside down. Slowly, its contents began to fall.

Naruto twitched. Was that… ramen? He sniffed slightly; his eyes snapped open. "Jiraya-sensei!" He yelled and jumped out of his bed and slid onto the floor catching the dry ramen before it hit the floor. "What the heck are you doing?!" Naruto looked down at his precious ramen. "This stuff costs money you know!" He mourned over the noodles, mumbling curses to his sensei and saying he would avenge the poor ramen. Jiraya clobbered him.

"Naruto, it's just ramen." Naruto glared at him. "Come on, make yourself decent. If you're going to get any training in today, you'd better hurry."

"Yeah, yeah… what's the rush?"

Jiraya's face glowed bright red, "Gathering data…" Naruto desperately wanted to punch his instructor. He growled. Jiraya grinned.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered as they walked toward Sakura's house. He looked at her, expecting her to say whatever it was that she needed to. "Thank you… for helping me. It… means a lot you know." He shrugged, and decided not to respond. He didn't have anything to say anyway. He stiffened up slightly. What if he helped, but she ended up dying anyway? He shook his head. It was her fault for being to weak, he reasoned with himself. The entire time Sakura just glanced at him worriedly.

She couldn't help but think that stunt she pulled before was a little over the top. Maybe Sasuke will never be interested in her… or any girl for that matter. She was starting to feel for him again, and she didn't mind. At least… she could try to enjoy these moments with him because perhaps within the next few moments, she could die… She felt like crying.

They finally reached Sakura's house… with awkward silence surrounding them. "Sasuke-kun? Do you want to come in for a while?" She asked shyly. He shook his head. It would be weird anyway. It was worth a try. Sakura opened the door and stepped in. She froze. Sasuke glanced at her weirdly.

"Sakura…" He placed a hand on her shoulder shaking her slightly. She didn't react. She was just mumbling incoherent words. "What?" She was looking at something. He followed her gaze and gagged. His eyes widened. "S-…Sakura-…" She was quivering, her eyes wide, she choked, but couldn't pull her eyes away.

Sakura spewed over and vomited blood. She was still trembling. She could feel pressure building up inside her, everything was turning… and then she collapsed. Sasuke caught her before she fell, muttering curses. He was trying to keep his gaze averted from the hideous sight before him. He looked down worriedly at her… _'This is not good…'_

Slowly, he turned and directed his gaze into the room. There, was her mother's body, ripped apart, her blood spilt all over the walls, part of her dead body hanging from the ceiling, clothes torn apart. It reminded him vaguely of the Uchiha massacre, only in one body. Her mother's eyes were still open, and they seemed to be staring at Sakura.

The pink haird girl was trembling in his arms… he hugged her close to him… There wasn't much more he could do for now…

TBC…

AN: Well, cliffhanger! Sort of… My summer job is beginning… things might slow… but I'll see what I can do… =)


	15. chapter 15

AN: Sorry for the wait!

I knew I'd get a question about Temari… Ok, in a few author notes I wrote… somewhere back there I said I would throw a brick in the road, well she was supposed to be that brick… but then the idea came up to just kill Sakura's mom and let that be the brick instead… but it was too late, so I just wrote a sequence with Temari, because if you don't remember, Temari also had a thing for _Sasuke_. She's just wondering, and curious… like every other girl would be when their former infatuation or infatuation is going out with somebody… besides, I like Temari… just wanted her to be apart of the fic. =)

I just realized, I've created a situation in this story, where the ending has to be one way or another and can't just be in between… how annoying. -- To be or not to be… that is the question… Anyway, while I decide what's going to happen… you go on and read this chapter.

Disclaimer: I … yeah.

Sasuke sat silently in Sakura's hospital room. His fists clenched, his mind was racing and there was only one question on his mind. Why? He continued to wonder why Sakura's mom was targeted and the only reasonable answer he could think of was that the people after the seal so long ago wanted again. Then again, they could just have some crazy murderer running loose somewhere in Konoha… He sighed; this was going to be one long wait.

Sasuke didn't have time to call the others. Naruto was off somewhere with Jiraya, Kakashi disappeared, and Tsunade was still in that meeting with Kazekage, leaving him alone to take care of Sakura. So far, no one knew about Sakura's mom accept him and Sakura herself. His eyes turned to her pail form on the bed.

Sakura stirred slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, meeting an unfamiliar white roof. She felt numb. A small whimper escaped her lips as she sat up, running a hand through her hair. It took her a few moments to register everything that was happening. Her eyes clenched tightly. Her mother's massacred image reappeared into her mind, fresh, as if it happened a few seconds ago. _'There was so much blood…'_ Her lower lip trembled. _'Mother…'_ Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. She clenched the white bed sheets tightly. A small cough sounded next to her. She turned her gaze to the side, her eyes widened. _'Sasuke?'_ Now, she didn't know whether to be embarrassed or to sink deeper into her tears. She turned her head shamefully down at her bed sheets, clutching them tightly.

This was déjà vu for Sasuke, watching her cry. It was a familiar sight, but not something he was quite used to. Who could blame the girl anyway? She just saw her mother's massacred body before her eyes, and now she had to deal with the shock. He, at least, knew how she felt. She lost all that she had left. He was debating with himself. Should he comfort her or should he just leave her and allow her to deal with her own problem… She was always getting into his. He won't repay that favor.

"Gomen, Sasuke-kun…" she whispered. She felt bad, troubling him like this...

"Hn." Was his only reply. He didn't have much else to say, besides it's not like him to grab her and allow her to cry on her shoulder. She's used to it, and she knows.

Sakura couldn't hold back, no matter how much she tried to contain her tears, they still fell. Her mom was gone, she had nothing left. The more she thought about it, the more she realized, there were so many things she could've told her. She could've treated her mother so much better. What possessed her to be the way she was? Well, now, she couldn't go home. She had no home to return to, and the blood soaked walls convinced her even further about that. One things true though, whoever did this will pay.

"You're doing it wrong Naruto!" Jiraya snapped at his pupil. "It's like this…"

"What the heck does learning how to sneak into a public bath have to do with learning a new jutsu?!" Naruto retorted. His instructor sighed.

"When will you learn to just stop asking questions?" Jiraya grinned and pushed him further into the women's side bath. "Now, if you can dodge everything they throw at you, I'll teach you something new, ok?" His grin spread. "Go on." He shoved a protesting Naruto into the steamy room. "Five… four… three…" Screams echoed throughout the entire area. Naruto came flying out with a wooden bucket over his head, and a bundle of angry women in towels chasing after him. Jiraya's cheeks became red with excitement. After a few more attempts at it, Naruto approached him, with bumps all over his head, glaring daggers. "You… this is all your fault." Jiraya laughed nervously.

"Now Naruto… you don't want to do anything you might regret…."

"Don't haggle with me old man!" A blaze burned in Naruto's eyes.

"The perverts over here ladies!" Jiraya yelled sweetly. The low rumble of feet was getting louder. Women with broom sticks in their hands all came running toward them at a rapid pace. Naruto panicked and clenched his eyes tightly.

"Sexy no jutsu!" Naruto transformed. Jiraya jaw dropped immediately. "Here he is ladies!! The pervert! Get him!" Naruto yelled in a frilly voice and pointed at Jiraya. The women stopped in their tracks, all with deadly glares on their faces. The old hermit stopped drooling.

"Hey wait… no! No! It's not me!" Jiraya waved his hands. "I'm a nice old man… you don't want to hurt me… come on…" Despite his excuses, Jiraya got the biggest beating in his life. Naruto joined the women in beating him also… laughing like a maniac.

Kakashi sensed something was wrong, and it seems he's found out what. He stood at Sakura's front door, and the stench of dried blood was already reaching out to him. When he opened the door, he saw why. The sight before him wasn't new, but it was defiantly something he hadn't seen since he was an ANBU. He swallowed and stepped in.

His eyes settled onto the body hanging on the roof. Something caught his eye. The blood from the body was still dripping, but from the look of where… the wound looked like… _'It was made from the inside out?'_ Kakashi's eye widened. _'What would that mean?'_

He wanted to examine it even more, but decided against it. Sakura should've been home hours ago, she wasn't here. His mind began to draw conclusions despite the constant self-debates of his theory. _'Did… Sakura kill her mother?'_

Sakura cried herself to sleep. Sasuke sat there watching her intently. He felt a pang of guilt for not comforting her, but the truth was… he didn't know how. As he sat there thinking about the situation more and more, he began to think about the possibilities of Mrs. Haruno's murder. Temari and her boys were here… maybe she was just a distraction for Gaara and Kankurou to… Sasuke blinked a couple of times. _'But why…?'_ Who else could there be? Kakashi wouldn't do it, that he knew for sure… He growled in frustration. For the moment, he shrugged it off. He decided to figure it out later. For now…

Sakura's eyes were clenched together tightly; her hands crumpled the sheets, her brows knitted together. She was having a nightmare. If memory served him correctly, he had nightmares for almost a year after the Uchiha massacre and they're still continuing… however, depending on how Sakura will handle her current situation… how is she going to react to everything now? Be more distant?

She looked like she was in pain, the images before must be replaying a hundred times over. A small whimper escaped her lips. Sasuke looked at her sorrowfully. Whatever protest ran through his mind didn't register completely because he reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, stroking the strands of pink hair out of the way. Still Sakura thrashed around. He leaned over her panting form. "Sakura…" he whispered into her ear. "Sakura stop." Her breathing began to slow, her thrashes subsided. She still whimpered. Well, at least she stopped. He began to pull away. Unfortunately, he was still slightly loomed over her and as he pulled, Sakura stirred and opened her eyes. They both blinked a couple of times. _'Uh oh…'_ Sasuke panicked. Sakura apparently did so also, she almost screamed, but Sasuke muffled it. Her breathing became faster, her heart was rapidly beating. _'What's going on?'_ She was a little shocked at the position they were in. Sasuke could of one word to sum it all into. _'Shit.'_

TBC…

AN: Well, sorry for the wait. Today was a good day, so, I decided to update. I wrote this chapter fairly quickly, but I'm satisfied. I updated. Hoorah. Short chapter, but there wasn't much more to put rather than the opinions of the characters. shrugs


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Oi, sorry for the long wait. I wasn't exactly in the mood to write this thing. I actually might discontinue it. I need a better reason than I don't feel like it, so I'll tell you. It's going nowhere. ::Smacks forehead:: Ah well, I guess I'll continue up until it really does get to nowhere… However I do have an idea of where it might go… This chapter will lead the way I guess. Maybe I'll get back on track and get this thing finished.

Chapter 16: Confusion.

Sakura blinked a couple of times to really register what was going on. _'Sasuke. Is. On. Top. Of. Me.'_ She had the sudden urge to feel his forehead to see if he was sick. _'Just what is he doing?!'_ He wasn't moving and she was starting to feel a little worried. "Sasuke-kun?" she said in a raspy voice. He was staring at her. _'Did he just move closer?'_

Sasuke felt paralyzed. _'Move… move!'_ This felt like the Orochimaru incident, only worse and somehow the intent to kill seemed a lot better. _'Move now…'_ His head moved a little closer to hers. _'No not that way!'_ Inwardly, he really felt that he should, however it would be very inappropriate, considering the circumstances. _'Her mom just died…'_ He noticed streaks of dried tears were apparent on her face and sighed.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered again and slowly got up.

"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto yelled as he opened the hospital door, ran to her bedside and pushed Sasuke out of the way. Sakura gaped in shock. "Gomen Sakura-chan! We ran into Kakashi sensei and then we found your mom and then-…" He blinked and looked at the two. Kakashi and Jiraya calmly walked into the room, but stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw.

Naruto pushed Sasuke into Sakura, which caused her to fall back on the bed, but with an odd twist, he landed on her chest. A loud shriek came from her. Both Sasuke and Naruto removed themselves and stepped a good three feet away from her. She folded her arms over her chest and scanned the room. Sasuke had a small tint of red on his face. Naruto looked irritated. Kakashi looked dull and Jiraya looked like he was in a serious mood.

"What are you guys…" she didn't finish her question. Kakashi approached her.

"Sakura, I saw what happened to your mother. I need to ask you something." He got to the subject immediatly. All heads turned toward him. "Perhaps you know what happened to your mother." She gave him a weird look.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Did you kill her?"

"What?!" everyone gaped at him. "Where did you get that theory from?!" Three pairs of angry eyes landed on him, excluding Jiraya's.

"What are you getting at Kakashi?" Jiraya questioned.

"When I studied the body I noticed the wounds were made from the inside out… however judging by the amount of blood, the body must've been slaughtered right after I-…"

Sakura thought about it for a while. "You mean by poison? But-but Sensei, I didn't do anything…" Sasuke nodded.

"She was with me…" A slight blush crept onto his cheeks. He looked away. They all turned surprisingly at him. He shrugged. "Well, it's the truth."

"But the poison could've been done at anytime before, at least three hours. I don't know for sure Sakura, until then you're a suspect despite what you claim. You're a smart person, you have the knowledge to create some kind of venom like that." Kakashi stated. Jiraya had an uncomfortable look on his face. Naruto had a hand under his chin, with narrow eyes. "Sakura, where were you before that?"

"I was in the forest. I'm always in the forest." She looked away. _'This can't be happening…'_ She thought about the situation and where this was going. "But no one's ever around when I'm there…" Kakashi shook his head.

"That's not good enough. I'm sorry." His tone sound strained. Sasuke's fists clenched tightly. _'This is not good.'_

"Sakura-chan couldn't have done it! She's too nice." Naruto stepped up. Kakashi looked at him with a dull eye.

"Not with the attitude she's been giving us." Sakura gaped at him and so did everyone else. She ran both hands through her hair. _'Oh my god… This isn't right! I didn't kill her! I didn't!'_ Tears blurred up her vision. _'Everything points to me… why?'_

"I swear I didn't! I wouldn't!" She screamed.

"Sakura, I've heard around town you've been having a hard time with your mother, you snap at her a lot, maybe you were upset and, don't get me wrong, no one would blame you…" Jiraya reasoned.

"How could you all say that?! I wouldn't!" Tears fell from her eyes. Naruto and Sasuke looked at her with concern.

"Sakura you-…" Kakashi began.

"That's enough!" Sasuke yelled. They looked at him with surprise again. For some reason, he knew Sakura was innocent. It was a gut feeling. Naruto nodded.

"You don't have solid proof, just conclusions. We can't determine anything until-…"

"We don't have a choice Naruto." Jiraya interrupted. "She's the only suspect we have, no one has any connection with Mrs. Haruno accept for Sakura. She doesn't have a believable alibi and she had a rocky relationship with her mother…" He sighed. "As much as I don't want to believe it… Sakura, you're the only one that could be responsible for your mother's murder." Kakashi nodded.

"What if Mrs. Haruno poisoned herself?" Naruto implied.

"Doubtful. She had no implications of suicide that anyone knew of, and the slaughtering of her body had to be done by someone else. You really can't expect a nearly dead woman to hack herself up now do you?!" Jiraya retorted. Kakashi sighed.

"I'm sorry Sakura. Just answer the question, did you kill your mother?"

"No." She stated dully. Everyone sighed. "What? Do you all think I'm in denial? I think I would know if I killed her or not." Kakashi shook his head at his former pupil.

"This needs to be discussed with Tsunade. Until then, stay put, and somewhere we could find you." She nodded and looked away. The two older men walked out of the room, leaving Naruto and Sasuke with her.

"Sakura-chan, you really didn't do it did you?" Naruto asked in a softer tone. She glared at him.

"I'm not a murderer, I'm not!" She banged her fists on the bed. They both glanced at her with concern.

"Ok, Ok! I get it. I believe you." Naruto said quickly.

"You sure don't seem like you do. Why would you question me?" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Gomen Sakura-chan. I just wanted to make sure." She snarled. Inwardly, Naruto still had his doubts. All the reasons just pointed to her. However she was a good friend, he would stay by her side.

"Sasuke-kun?" She turned her head toward him tear stained face and all. He desperately wanted to look away. "You believe me right?"

_'Of course I do, I was there.'_ He meant he was with her when they were in the forest, for a little bit anyway, and he was there when she found her mother. Judging from her reaction when she saw the sight, he was quite sure. That and his instincts kept telling him so, or was it because he didn't want to believe she did it. He didn't know. He kept his mouth shut.

Sakura had a pained look on her face. _'Everything's all wrong! No one believes me…'_ She ran a hand through her hair and the tears began to fall from her eyes again. Sasuke watched painfully from the side as she sobbed, he couldn't take it, especially since he was so deep in thought about the situation. He gave a small apologetic glance at Sakura, which went unnoticed, and left the room.

The sound of the door clicking caused her to snap her head up. _'He left…'_ "Sakura-chan, it's late. I have to go, I'll walk you home if you-…" She glared at Naruto. "Oh yeah. Gomen. So you're staying the night here at the hospital?" She nodded. "Good night then Sakura-chan." She waved good-bye and laid down on the bed with her eyes closed. When Naruto left she opened her eyes again. _'Who could've done this? Why?!'_ She put herself in a fetal position. _'No one believes me…I'm all alone again.'_

"She's still in that meeting with Kazekage." Kankurou addressed from in front of the door. "I don't think they're going to be done for a while." Kakashi and Jiraya nodded. The two of them turned around and went to a different area of the building.

"I guess we'll wait then." Jiraya said tiredly. "It's been almost six hours, how long could those two meet for? I get sick of her after two minutes." He said jokingly. Kakashi smiled. Jiraya changed the subject. "Do you really think she did it?" The jounin looked at him. "Sakura, do you think she did it?"

Kakashi sighed. "As much as I don't want to believe it, all the fingers seem to point to her. She's the only one that-…"

"Yeah, yeah, we've talked about this already. Do you think she did it or not?"

"No. I think she's innocent, however it doesn't matter what I suppose. I don't have a good enough reason, and I could be wrong in my belief." Jiraya nodded.

"So what do we do?" Kakashi shrugged.

"There isn't much we could do for now… Honestly, I have no idea." Kakashi closed his eyes and remembered Mrs. Haruno's body. _'The poison from the inside could've been consumed at anytime... however Sakura doesn't have heart to hack up her nother's body like that does she? Did she really do it?'_

"If you think too much about it-..." Jiraya's voice interrupted, "You'll get nowhere. You'll just keep questioning yourself..." Kakashi gave a small nod and a smile.

"Don't worry about me, I'm wondering about Sasuke and Naruto." He changed the subject. "They both will remain on her side, or Naruto will anyway. Sasuke... it's funny. I've known him for all these years, but I've never been able to read what's going on in his mind when it comes to Sakura." Jiraya raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know about the boy either. He seemed angry anough when we pushed the subject... maybe he's overprotective of the girl." He grinned cheekily. "Wouldn't that be interesting."

"The tables have turned huh? Sakura used to be posessive of him... I wonder if she still is. She hasn't been all that annoying around Sasuke anymore. Perhaps he misses that sort of attention." Kakashi laughed. "Then again, Sasuke will always be Sasuke... he won't understand, and he'll be too stubborn to admit it."

"Admit what?" Jiraya asked curiously.

"He has a soft spot for Sakura despite how much he shrugs it off. As difficult as the situation is, I wonder how the two of them will come out after this..." Jiraya nodded.

"And what if she's convicted for the murder?" Kakashi remained silent. "For a massacre like that the punishment is... death. Isn't it Kakashi?" The jounin looked away.

TBC…

AN: I'm sorry for the long wait on this one! It's been a while ne? Ah well, I got it out finally. I have no idea if I'll discontinue it. Do you think I should? The reason is stated above. It's going nowhere. Ahh, poo. ::sigh:: Hope you liked it, and yeah.... --


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